Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week- Day 4

My four year old was very interested in all the hullaballoo on Monday.

Groundhog Day.

He kept calling it Hedgehog or Porcupine Day.

So I scoured the library to find something appropriate to read with him so he’d understand the whole point of this (very important but not yet a Hallmark) day.

I didn’t find a picture of this book on Amazon, sorry.

Groundhog Day by Amy Margaret (Library of Holidays) is a 24 page book geared for ages 4-8. It’s a great book because instead of drawings, there are photographs. My son loved this, because even though we live in an area where groundhogs can be seen, they are most often  missed when we are passing by them on country roads.

Groundhog Day explains what the groundhog is, and gives facts and information in an easy to understand format. It then goes on to explain the history behind Groundhog Day, who Punxsutawney Phil is and how the people in Pennsylvania await his prediction every year. Included is a short bit about other groundhogs around the country.

It’s a cute book, and informative for 4-8 year olds without being overwhelming. After reading it, my son wanted to go out and look for a groundhog of his own.

Ooey Gooey(not my trademark, but somebody else’s)

Did the title get your attention?

Sounds cool, doesn’t it?

I was presenting last fall at an Early Childhood Conference, and went to listen to the keynote speaker, Lisa Murphy.

Lisa Murphy IS the Ooey Gooey Lady.

If you’ve never heard of her and you have little ones, work with little ones, or plan to work with little ones in the future, then you need to go here.

You know this No Child Left Behind stuff?

Yeah.

Excuse me while I bend over to find the eyeballs that have rolled so hard they fell out of my head.

I’ve worked in school districts.

I’ve now got a son in the local public school system. (albeit a Montessori public school)

If you compare school now to school back when I was in school.

It sucks.

The testing. The drills. The homework. Every.Single.Minute.Planned.Out.

Even preschools are teaching academics.

Lisa Murphy is about playing.

That’s the way young children learn.

Remember mud pies?

Dress up?

Watching clouds go by?

Slippery Slides?

Merry-go-rounds?

Recess?

That’s what I’m talking about.

And that’s what Lisa Murphy, the Ooey Gooey Lady, is talkin’ ’bout too.

Here’s the book:

Life would be so much better if the children had more play time.