It’s not secret I love kids books. Like really, REALLY love picture books. And I love them even more when I can pull a fun activity to pair with it. This last burst of wintery weather across the Midwest and Colorado reminded me that I never shared (at least not on the blog), MAKING A FRIEND, a super adorable book we received from the great folks at HarperKids.
I’m not exactly a guy who makes new friends easily.
Tom Petty
MAKING A FRIEND by Tammi Sauer features one very talented Beaver who can do just about anything except make friends. Kind of like Tom Petty, apparently. During one very snowy day Beaver decides that the snow has given him all he needs to make a friend. And – quite literally – he proceeds to make a friend out of snow. That is, until Raccoon shows up and tells him that it takes two to make a friend. The two decide to work together and in the process (that Penny found delightful) realize they made much more than just a friendly snowman.
Penelope LOVED (and still loves) this book. Allison Friend’s illustrations are lively and adorable, and Penelope loves pointing out the things that both Racoon and Beaver do to befriend each other without knowing they’re doing it. This book is a frequent read during bedtime.
MAKING A FRIEND can be purchased from Amazon or your local bookstore!
HANDS ON ACTIVITY
For this book I pulled out the trusty Playdoh (a perennial favorite) so Penny could mimic Beaver and Racoon’s snow antics while working on her eye hand coordination.
I rolled Play-Doh into balls with her and let her practice rolling. Then she went to town squishing and pulling as she pleased. Her snowman (below) was more of a snow lump pile, but she was happy with it. 🙂
Once she had her fill of rolling and squishing, we worked on rolling “snakes” and making her name.
If you’re looking for a nice way to spend a snowy (or any kind of) day, give MAKING A FRIEND and a can of play-doh a spin. Or, rather, a roll.