Today I'm grateful because my friend Dr. Jean invited me
to guest post at her blog; click her image below to go there
for some strategies to bring calm when life gets chaotic.
As I wrote, I couldn't help but notice that
it wasn't a lot of to-do things that came to mind
but rather a bunch of to-be things.
Feelings matter so much in such a time as this;
at home with family is the perfect place to practice self-regulation.
I'm also excited because I sent my brother a Tuesdays With Tommy story earlier this week and he forwarded it to his friend who writes for On Milwaukee and his friend shared it with some reflections and a mitt FULL of hope {here}.
Pay it forward, then play ball!
Today's PPBF is the perfect tail-wagging pick for such a time as this.
Title: Dudley's Day At Home
Author: Karen Kaufman Orloff
Illustrator: Renée Andriani
Publisher: FlashLight Press
Birth-date: May 3, 2020
Suitable for: ages 3-7
Themes: imagination, creativity, personification
Brief synopsis: When Sam asks and Mom answers, a fun picture of what Sam imagines their darling dog does when they're away from home unfolds.
Opening page:
"Mom, what does Dudley do all day when we go out?" Sam asks.
"Oh, just ordinary dog things," Mom answers.
"Like what?"
Resources: Visit the publisher's page {here}.
Read an IPG overview {here}.
Why I like this book: And from his innocent question and mom's generic answer come these brilliantly-joyful illustrations that completely capture Sam's incredible imagination that has Dudley doing all sorts of entertaining and crazy-fun people stuff while they are away. From blowing bubbles and playing checkers and video games with the cat to jumping on the bed or using the treadmill without permission, Sam conjures up all sorts of silly shenanigans.
Use this creative newcomer to teach personification, then let it serve as a springboard for a fanciful discussion about what your children think that our pets, the hamsters, the fish, the cats, maybe even the larger animals like the horses, the llamas or the cattle, do all day.
Invite them to act it out in a charades-like game.
Encourage them come up with some kind of a social contract (aka house and/or barnyard rules) to keep the animal antics in check. Using their wild imaginations, like Sam does, what might the animals agree to? What might they balk at? How can they keep them all safe?
I'm also drawn to the serendipitous timing of this book, the perfect story especially since now that we are under stay-at-home orders, kids like Sam don't really have to wonder what their Dudleys do all day at all. Do I see a compare and contrast pictograph in there somewhere?
Make sure you're encouraging journaling of some kind so that your children can tell their children about everything they did at home while the world worked with intention to stay safe in the global pandemic of 2020.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go outside and see
what our new butterflies, Luke and Leia, are up to.
For today's other PPBF titles, visit Susanna Hill's blog now.
What a fun book to share for PPBF! My daughter often wonder what our dog does to occupy himself when we go out for a walk. I have a feeling that the illustrations add a level of humor to the story. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAll kids and adults, wonder what their pets do every day. Kids will find this book delightful and probably a bit humorous. Great suggestions on how to use this book with other animals. Stay safe and well, Barbara!
ReplyDeleteGreat rec! This book reminds me of Nina Laden's THE NIGHT I FOLLOWED THE DOG. Have you read it? If you haven't, I think you'd really enjoy it. And it also is a good match for my pick this week, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Laura Purdie Salas. Her poems imagine what happens throughout the house while a child is asleep. So many great books to check out!
ReplyDeleteI love the premise of this book. It looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing this title.
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