"By reading, hearing, and using culturally diverse materials, young people learn that beneath surface differences of color, culture or ethnicity, all people experience universal feelings of love, sadness, self-worth, justice and kindness." (Dowd, 1992 via LeeLow). I felt this quote was a perfect way to begin the celebration for Gerald McDermott, "a dream weaver, tale-spinner, portrayer of visions, interpreter of the human spirit." (Gerald McDermott.com).
Gerald McDermott began his career of storytelling in college when he developed the animated film, The Stonecutter (see the YouTube video below). This film gave him the opportunity to create more short films including Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti, which later became his first picture book and also a Caldecott Honor recipient in 1973. In 1975, Gerald McDermott received the Caldecott Medal for his book Arrow to the Sun and another Caldecott Honor in 1994 for Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. His Trickster Tale series of picture books "speak to us in a gentle, humorous way about strengths and weaknesses of humankind."(Gerald McDermott.com).
Gerald McDermott said in an interview with Nancy J. Johnson, "I have heard thousands of stories and every once in a while one leaps up and grabs me. When I read a story that is important for me to tell, I feel it." The trickster tale that "leapt up and grabbed" us as we prepared for this birthday celebration was Jabuti the Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon. Jabuti the Tortoise plays the flute. His biggest fans are the birds that find his music sweet. However Vulture, who is unable to sing along with the other birds as Jabuti plays, finds his music sour and can't wait for the day he can eat Jabuti for a meal. One day a great gathering is being hosted by the King of Heaven. Vulture pretends to be sincere in his offer to fly Jabuti to heaven so he can play his flute. Vulture has other plans with little concern for the health and safety of Jabuti. Jabuti's friends come to his aid when he needs them most and he repays them with a special gift.
After reading this book, I wanted to bring it to life with a birthday celebration activity. I immediately did a search for "homemade flutes". I found a website by Mark Shepard with instructions to make a "Plumber's Pipe". The directions looked easy enough and we just needed a few supplies. I told the kids to put on their shoes and coats because we were headed to Lowe's.
After locating our materials we headed to the car with a 10 ft. piece of 3/4" PVC pipe (we didn't need 10 feet, but that is how it is sold) and a few 3/4" end caps. We spent less than $4 to get the supplies for our flutes.
Thankfully, my father-in-law's saw was still in our garage from a recent home improvement project. Each piece of PVC was cut to 15 9/16". If I would not have had this cool saw I would have used a hacksaw to cut the PVC and then sanded the edges to make sure they were smooth.
The end cap was drilled on the side with a 7/16" drill bit.
We placed the cap on one end of the piece of PVC pipe (which chose not to use cement to glue it on which worked out fine). Then, we measured from the edge of the cap and marked the measurements 6 7/8", 8", 9 1/8", 10 3/4", 11 1/2", and 12 3/4". The other end of the pipe was left open. We drilled each mark with a 1/4" drill bit and placed them all in a row (we didn't listen to the suggestions on many of the homemade flute websites that suggested different sized holes and staggering the holes in a specific way. For us, it was easier to do it this way.)
After all the holes were drilled, we cleaned all the black markings off the pipe with PVC Cleaner.
We decided that our flutes needed to be decorated. We used many different colors of Sharpie markers. My daughter used patterns from the illustrations in the book as inspiration for her design.
My daughter was so excited for this celebration -- even though, we weren't very good at playing the flute. She came home from school today and it was the first thing she ran to, and plans on taking it to school tomorrow to show her music teacher!
Links:
1. Gerald McDermott's Website
2. Talking with Gerald McDermott interview - BookList
3. Arrow to the Sun Work in Progress video - Vimeo
4. Sun Flight video - YouTube
5. Steady Freddy from The Electric Company - YouTube
6. Shall I Shoot the Fish from The Electric Company - YouTube
7. Gerald McDermott Page - Internet Movie Database
8. Gerald McDermott Biography - NCCIL
Our bedtime reading routine is that my oldest two children and I each select one book. Most of the time I read all three books aloud, but on occasion my daughter will choose to read her selection. This has been the routine for over a year and a half. Tonight, I tried something new after learning that Bill Peet told stories to his children before bedtime.
"When my two sons, Bill and Steve, were very small I would make up bedtime stories for them almost every night. With so much storytelling practice I began to contribute more to the Disney stories, but always with illustrations. I couldn't possibly give up drawing. Finally I became Walt's top writer-illustrator on his animated features." (billpeet.net).
I was nervous to tell an original story. So, I reached out to fellow participants in the 12 x 12 writing challenge to ask if they would share their experiences telling original stories to their children. I received many helpful suggestions:
1. Encourage your children to contribute to the story. (Thanks Jodi!)
2. Have a reoccurring set of characters. (Thanks Denver!)
3. Start your story with "When you were little..." (Thanks Julie!)
4. Use picture book illustrations as a guide for your story telling. (Thanks Stacy!)
5. Take turns with your children telling parts of the story. (Thanks Mindy!)
I had thought of a main character and a problem for my story -- a bear who couldn't fall asleep for the winter -- but that is all I had! So I decided to try the suggestion of having my children contribute to the story. I began the story by describing the setting (it was snowing) and the main character (a bear who tried many ways to fall asleep but couldn't). My daughter introduced a bird who wanted to show the bear how much fun it was to play in the snow. The bear and the bird went sledding, skiing, and ice skating. My son said, "They need to build a snow fort!" This provided a great way to end the story with the bear falling asleep in the fort after a fun but exhausting day playing in the snow. This story will certainly not become an animated classic film for Disney or a storybook loved by thousands of children, but it certainly was fun -- and I would try it again!
Over the past 60 years Bill Peet has been a part of telling many of the most popular stories that children have grown to love. He spent 27 years working at Disney, where he developed the stories of Dumbo, 101 Dalmations, and The Sword in the Stone for animated feature films. Additionally, he collaborated on other Disney films including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland (Disney). After his time at Disney, he published over 30 storybooks including popular titles like The Whingdingdilly and Big Bad Bruce. He also was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1990 for his autobiography, Bill Peet: An Autobiography.
I wanted to celebrate Bill Peet's birthday with his books and a movie. My children absolutely love watching a movie with the lights off, a blanket on the floor with pillows, and POPCORN! I knew the perfect movie to watch would be The Sword in the Stone -- a movie they had never seen before. Bill Peet was "the only storyman in the history of Disney who did all the storyboards for an entire animated feature film, and he did it for two of them: The Sword in the Stone and 101 Dalmations." (billpeet.net).
This week we read a number of books by Bill Peet before the birthday celebration and the book that resonated with my son was No Such Things. This book is full of strange creatures with funny names. My son laughed out loud for names like Flubduds, Grabnabbits, and Magawks. Each page spread highlights a creature and a description written in rhyme. Here is an excerpt from the book:
The reason the Flubduds all sigh in despair-- They stand on their feet and can't go anywhere. Since they're much too befuddled to figure things out, They're stuck in one spot and can't move about.
After reading No Such Things for a second time, I told my children that it was going to be Movie Night! Then, I said, "I have a few ideas to make our Movie Night special for Bill Peet's birthday." The first idea was to make a special cup for our juice. We traced Starbucks cardboard cup sleeves with a pencil on white paper.
After tracing the sleeve they cut out the shape.
Then, carefully glued it on the sleeve. This gave us a blank slate for creating a Bill Peet commemorative cup.
My daughter chose to write "Happy Birthday Bill Peet" and my son chose to write his name on one side.
On the other side, they drew their favorite creature from No Such Things. My daughter chose a Flumper which resembles a car tire and my son chose a Snoof which has backward feet and therefore cannot be tracked by hunters in the snow.
Here are the official Bill Peet Birthday Movie Night Commemorative Cups. I made a cup for my youngest son which featured a Sneezaboo, a bighorn sheep whose horns wrap around as skis. This creature is also featured in Buford the Big Horn Sheep.
The next activity was to design homemade popcorn containers. I gave them the freedom to decorate the containers however they desired. My son stayed with the theme by adding a few more creatures. My daughter drew designs around the word POPCORN.
To make the container we folded a large piece of construction paper in half.
Then we folded each half into the center to make four equal panels.
For each panel we cut along each crease about 3 inches up.
I then folded the panels together and taped on the bottom.
Once all the bottoms were folded, I had two panels that met together. I added tape here to complete our popcorn container.
This was just an example. Remember to have your children decorate their container before you tape it together.
Movie Night was a success. The kids thought the commemorative cups and popcorn containers were really cool! I couldn't believe I remembered parts of The Sword in the Stone, I hadn't see it since I was a kid. I love the part in the movie where Merlin and Arthur become fish and encounter the giant Pike!
Two years ago, I began creating memorable reading experiences with my family. My then 2 year old son's reaction to an I Stink cake we made for Kate McMullan's birthday in 2010 inspired me to celebrate children's author birthdays with my children. I never thought that by pulling a box of cake mix out of the cupboard would have been a life changing experience, but it was! Since then, my family has celebrated over 120 children's author birthdays and read thousands of books together. We have also made three really great cakes to celebrate Kate McMullan's birthday.
The I Stink cake that started it all in 2010!
I'm Mighty Cake in 2011!
The past two years we enjoyed eating these cakes ourselves, but this year we would be sharing our latest creation with my son's preschool class. My son's teacher gave me an open invitation to come into the classroom to read when it was convenient for my family. I saw Kate McMullan's birthday as an opportunity to allow my son to share his favorite books with his classmates.
The day before the visit, my son and I prepared two activities for his classmates. There was lots of cutting, gluing, mixing and decorating going on at our house.
I told my son that he and his classmates were going to make their own I Stink Garbage Trucks. We printed out clip art pictures of many of the garbage items mentioned in I Stink including lobster claws, fish heads, and rotten radishes. My son helped me cut out the images that would eventually be pasted onto the cardboard box garbage trucks.
My son used I Stink to help him write the correct matching letter of alphabet on each image.
We prepared the large cardboard boxes by covering them with white paper so there would be a clean area to draw and color. The "Glue Guys" did an awesome job preparing for this activity!
My youngest son went down for a nap then it was time for my oldest and I to get to work on our favorite reading tradition... Kate McMullan Book Cakes! This year we created an I'm Fast cake to celebrate her new book about a freight train who races a red car to Chicago.
We first applied a base of white frosting to the cake.
Then, I sketched out the design with a toothpick.
I traced the sketch in black cake icing.
Then, we added the color. My son was so determined to apply the frosting. He used all his strength to squirt the frosting from the can.
The little red car was a tight area but he stayed in the lines.
Two mini oreos for the wheels!
Tada! We were quite pleased with the results!
My son's preschool class is comprised three and four year olds. It is considered an integrated preschool as it takes typical students and students with special needs. Not only was I spending the morning in the classroom but it was also Dad and Donuts Day. It couldn't have been a better day to spend at preschool!
I opened the lesson with a quick introduction to trash -- Where do you put your trash? Where it goes after the trash can is full? Then, I read one of my favorite read alouds, I Stink! The preschoolers loved it!
After reading, I told the class that they were going to make their own garbage trucks. I modeled drawing a face, wheels, and a hopper. This box then became the garbage truck used by students who needed a little more support to complete the task.
Once the students designed their garbage truck we cut a side door for the students to be able to get in and out of their garbage truck.
The last thing that the students needed was for their garbage truck to "EAT SOME TRASH!" The clip art images were added using glue sticks.
My time in the class was coming to a close, but it was time for the grand finale. I read I'm Fast! and got the preschoolers chanting "Chooka-Chooka" just like the freight train in the book. I was so impressed with the participation from the students!
I left them with the cake to enjoy during their snack time. I want to thank my son's teacher, Miss Lauren, and her co-teacher Miss Jaime, for allowing me to come in and celebrate Kate McMullan's birthday. I truly had a blast!
Last November during Picture Book Month, 31 picture book authors, illustrators, and book lovers were asked to share their perspective to answer the question -- "Why are picture books important?" The shared stories, memories, and opinions marked a daily celebration for picture books and a reason to be thankful for everything that they provide to us as readers. The success of the inaugural event can be credited to a supportive community of KidLit fanatics, but mostly to the incredibly organized and passionate founder, Dianne de Las Casas.
Dianne de Las Casas began her career in children's literature as a volunteer storyteller at her local library. Her experiences at the library led her to become a professional storyteller. In an interview with the Love a Librarian Blog, she said, "Being a storyteller allowed me to 'season' my stories in front of live audiences. It helped me narrow my focus and specialize - audience participation is what I do best. This translates very well into children's picture books." Her first published books were geared toward teachers and librarians to help them develop the art of storytelling with titles like Story Craft: Crafting Story Theater Scripts and Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take. Then, in 2009 she published her first picture book The Cajun Cornbread Boy. I was astonished when I read in the School Library Journal, Practically Paradise Blog that she has visited more than 500 cities, 30+ states, and multiple countries as an author and storyteller.
This week to celebrate Dianne de Las Casas' birthday we were chompin' and stompin' all week after reading her latest picture book Dinosaur Mardi Gras. The refrain from the book has been stuck in our heads and we couldn't help letting it out in the car, at the dinner table, and even before bedtime! The book taught us all about Mardi Gras, something we are sad to say that we knew very little about. We learned about krewes (carnival organizations that host parades), New Orleans street names, Rex: The King of Carnival, and even doubloons. In addition to learning about Mardi Gras we learned the names of numerous dinosaurs when we made our own Dinosaur Doubloons Memory Game.
This week I learned that doubloons, coin-like favors thrown from floats in a Mardi Gras Parade, were first introduced in 1959 and made of lightweight aluminum. This gave me the idea to make our own out of cardboard circles and aluminum foil. In this picture, my oldest covered the cardboard with the aluminum foil while my youngest uncovered it. Let me tell you -- we are a very efficient crafting operation!
There was some preplanning on my part. I cut out 34 cardboard circles about 3 inches in diameter (about double the size of the real Mardi Gras doubloon). Then, I found clip art pictures of the dinosaurs mentioned in Dinosaur Mardi Gras. All this cutting was completed the night before our game- making endeavor.
I also learned that each doubloon is unique to a krewe, an organization that plans a parade, therefore each year there are many different doubloons. I chose to "brand" our doubloons with a purple and gold circle that read, "Dinosaur Doubloons 2012, Chomp! Chomp! Stomp! Stomp!" My son adhered the tape and placed the paper circle on the aluminum covered cardboard circle.
After the paper circles were taped on one side of the doubloon we taped our dinosaur images on the other side. We had two images of each dinosaur. The pictures of each dinosaur were easy to find using a Google Image Search. I wrote the name of each dinosaur under each image too.
This is a photo of our completed Dinosaur Doubloons -- 34 in all! Some of the dinosaurs we had were Allosaurus, Spinosaurus, and of course the king, T-Rex.
Throughout the day (and the next day) we played Dinosaur Doubloon Memory Game. We tried to find the matching pair of dinosaurs among the sea of dinosaur doubloons (Illustrations of Dinosaur doubloons also decorate the endpapers of the gorgeous picture book). It was cool to hear that the dinosaur names become comfortable vocabulary for my children after playing the game.
I was so happy that Dianne was able to share a few birthday thoughts via email:
Birthdays have always been a big deal for my family. We believe that every year you are on this earth is cause to celebrate. We also love gift giving! One of my favorite birthday memories is not one when I received gifts but rather when I gave...
My best friend from high school, Fe Del Rosario, also has a January birthday. We lost touch over the years and in 2008, we rediscovered each other through Facebook. We connected and talked on the phone for hours. We were instantly best friends again. I really wanted to see her so I surprised her with a round-trip ticket to New York City (she had never been) and a birthday weekend of fine dining, Broadway, shopping, and celebration. I had flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for her when she arrived as well as a bevy of gifts. We visited museums, rode the subway, and even walked Central Park in the snow. It was one of the most magical birthdays I can remember because I received the biggest gift of all -- the rekindling of my friendship with my BFF. This year, 2012, we're doing it again -- meeting in NYC to celebrate our birthdays. :)
Dianne, thank you so much for sharing your birthday thoughts. We hope you have a wonderful time in New York City. Happy Birthday! We admire your efforts with Picture Book Month. Good luck with the project.
