It took me a long time to warm up to Valentine's Day. When I was single it made me feel lonely and once I met my husband I felt obligated to go out NO MATTER WHAT. We crammed into crowded restaurants. We "celebrated" while battling wisdom tooth pain. We trudged to through snow to get to a local "romantic hot-spot." Nothing says "romance" like painful chattering teeth, soaking wet feet and a head cold.
Then I had my kids. They would come home with hand-crafted wonky valentines. Xeroxed poems pasted to their photos. Drawings of our family surrounded by shaky hearts. My own heart overflowed with love. I saved everything they ever gave me.
THE BOOK
That feeling of overflowing love is perfectly conveyed in Love, Mama (Roaring Book Press, 2018) written and beautifully illustrated by Jeanette Bradley. When Mama penguin goes away on a trip, young Kipling misses her tremendously. He tries substitutes but none will do. "...pillow Mama wouldn't read. Picture Mama wouldn't laugh..." As the days go on he waits and wishes for her. A package in the mail from Mama reminds him of her love and reassures him that she will return. The reunion is quiet and meaningful.
This endearing book perfectly portrays the bond between parent and child. The story doesn't overwhelm. It's tender and and yet powerful. The illustrations are lovely and the details bring the characters and the story to life: passing whales with their young, attentive seals who help carry packages, and tender hugs between bespectacled Mama and her little Kipling make it a book that will resonate with young children and parents.
THE PROJECT
I will confess I truly thought I came up with the idea of making coffee creamer containers into penguins UNTIL I posted on Facebook that I needed container donations. A teacher friend responded to say she had just made her containers into a "feed the penguin" game. Sigh. I decided it would be cute and that we'd go ahead with the project anyway.
IN A MOMENT OF "GENIUS" I also bought magnet tape*** thinking we could magnetize a Mama and Baby penguin and then have them stick together. Nope. Didn't work. Feel free to try. Again: sigh.
THE SUPPLIES AND HOW TO USE THEM
MY VOLUNTEERS ARTIST
My young artist (7) declared the book "very sweet". Appropriately, his mom read it to him. I felt privileged to be there for that. (If I tried reading to my 14 year old I'd never hear the end of it!)
VARIATIONS
MACARONI!
Create Macaroni penguins by adding yellow pipe-cleaner or yellow feather clippings to the head. And YES, they really are called Macaroni penguins. Although you COULD try to make them out of macaroni. Let me know how that goes for you.
2 ALTERNATIVE PROJECTS
1. MESSAGES OF LOVE BOARD
Make your penguin into a message board. Glue a cardboard or foam heart to his/her tummy. Cut a heart shape out of Dry Erase Sticker Paper and attach it to the heart.
Leave messages of love for your family!
2. WISHING ROCKS
Kipling lines up "wishing rocks" to wish for Mama's return. Have your artists create their own collection of wishing rocks. You can get a selection for them but if you are at home or creating crafts in a park or library, have the artists find their own. They can pick rocks, wash them well, and paint them. I recommend acrylic but if you are worried about mess or staining they can use tempera paint or water based paint markers. They can make each rock represent a friend, family member, or a special wish.
As far as wishes go, I wish you all an abundance of love and a Happy Valentine's Day!
Then I had my kids. They would come home with hand-crafted wonky valentines. Xeroxed poems pasted to their photos. Drawings of our family surrounded by shaky hearts. My own heart overflowed with love. I saved everything they ever gave me.
THE BOOK
That feeling of overflowing love is perfectly conveyed in Love, Mama (Roaring Book Press, 2018) written and beautifully illustrated by Jeanette Bradley. When Mama penguin goes away on a trip, young Kipling misses her tremendously. He tries substitutes but none will do. "...pillow Mama wouldn't read. Picture Mama wouldn't laugh..." As the days go on he waits and wishes for her. A package in the mail from Mama reminds him of her love and reassures him that she will return. The reunion is quiet and meaningful.
This endearing book perfectly portrays the bond between parent and child. The story doesn't overwhelm. It's tender and and yet powerful. The illustrations are lovely and the details bring the characters and the story to life: passing whales with their young, attentive seals who help carry packages, and tender hugs between bespectacled Mama and her little Kipling make it a book that will resonate with young children and parents.
THE PROJECT
I will confess I truly thought I came up with the idea of making coffee creamer containers into penguins UNTIL I posted on Facebook that I needed container donations. A teacher friend responded to say she had just made her containers into a "feed the penguin" game. Sigh. I decided it would be cute and that we'd go ahead with the project anyway.
IN A MOMENT OF "GENIUS" I also bought magnet tape*** thinking we could magnetize a Mama and Baby penguin and then have them stick together. Nope. Didn't work. Feel free to try. Again: sigh.
THE SUPPLIES AND HOW TO USE THEM
 |
| *** Supplies Note: Magnet tape is a questionable addition to the list! (see above description!) |
- Creamer containers of varying sizes
- Black paint to pre-paint the containers (Acrylic or spray paint)
- Tape, Scissors, Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- White stick-back felt
- Black, white and yellow card stock
- Black and red markers, White Paint Marker
- Red foam sheet OR red piece of card stock (optional)
- DAY BEFORE: Pre-paint the containers black. (I used acrylic. If you are doing a large number you can spray paint them.)
- CRAFT DAY: Artist cuts shapes out of white felt and adhere them to the creamer bottles. Large oval for penguins' stomach, smaller circle for the face. Adhere them to containers.
- Artist draws in faces with markers.
- Artists cuts feet out of yellow card stock, wings out of black card stock.
- Artists cuts out red foam or cardboard heart to give tuck under penguin's wing.
- ADULT uses hot glue to adhere cut shapes to penguins.
 |
| Artist quite proud of his penguins! |
 |
| Drawing on faces |
MY VOLUNTEERS ARTIST
My young artist (7) declared the book "very sweet". Appropriately, his mom read it to him. I felt privileged to be there for that. (If I tried reading to my 14 year old I'd never hear the end of it!)
VARIATIONS
MACARONI!
Create Macaroni penguins by adding yellow pipe-cleaner or yellow feather clippings to the head. And YES, they really are called Macaroni penguins. Although you COULD try to make them out of macaroni. Let me know how that goes for you.
 |
| I'm a Macaroni penguin! |
1. MESSAGES OF LOVE BOARD
Make your penguin into a message board. Glue a cardboard or foam heart to his/her tummy. Cut a heart shape out of Dry Erase Sticker Paper and attach it to the heart.
Leave messages of love for your family!
2. WISHING ROCKS
Kipling lines up "wishing rocks" to wish for Mama's return. Have your artists create their own collection of wishing rocks. You can get a selection for them but if you are at home or creating crafts in a park or library, have the artists find their own. They can pick rocks, wash them well, and paint them. I recommend acrylic but if you are worried about mess or staining they can use tempera paint or water based paint markers. They can make each rock represent a friend, family member, or a special wish.As far as wishes go, I wish you all an abundance of love and a Happy Valentine's Day!
A very sweet book! Would also make a great Mother's Day gift!
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet story.
ReplyDelete