Category: Laughter's Medicine

Bye, Bye Motabhai!

4/20/2021

2013, Yali Books; 2014 South Asia Book Award Honor Book

"Pavan Putra Ram Kishen Oont was a large, lumpy, yellow-brown camel. He was born in the old city of Ahmedabad, a crowded, busy town in India. Even as a young calf, Pavan could run as fast as the dusty desert winds that blew across the city. Seeing this, his proud mama had named him Pavan Putra, son of the Wind."

Kala Sambasivan & Ambika Sambasivan

The Sambasivans, a mother and daughter team, established Yali Books as an independent publisher to "reflect and validate the experiences of people of color, particularly those of South Asian descent, through relatable and inspiring stories based on their lives." Bye, Bye, Motabhai! was Yali Books first book.

Kala Sambasivan, in addition to writing children's stories, teaches English and writes for the Young World, The Hindu and the school edition of Deccan Herald. Ambika Sambasivan is an "illustrator-by-accident" who works in cut-paper collage, pen and ink and throws in a dash of Copic coloring.

The Scrambled States of America

4/15/2021

1998, Holt and Company

"Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U.S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise.

All of the states, that is, except for KANSAS. He was not feeling happy at all."

Laurie Keller

Keller (1961 - ) toyed with being a professional dancer and an elementary school teacher before deciding to focus on greeting card illustrations at Hallmark. Scrambled States of America was her first book simply because the images of little states with arms and legs popped into her head one night as she fell asleep. Keller's series The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut is a huge hit with younger children.

Book Synopsis

Bored, grumpy Kansas decides - with best friend Nebraska - to throw a party for all the other states. After a long, fun evening Idaho and Virginia suggest the states switch places just so everyone could get to see a new part of the country. The result is hilariously predictable!

Informational picture book, 40 pages. An imaginative, hilarious way to learn geography, as well as facts and tidbits about the states.

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
This is a seriously funny read aloud! Be sure to take the time to read and look at all of the illustrated side-dialogue between states.

Classroom Resource
State lessons become enjoyable with a classroom read aloud such as Scrambled States -- you can even find a reader's theatre version on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Learning at Home
We loved this book when homeschooling our daughters, but did not know a game and a puzzle existed to accompany the book! Good ways to learn geography.

Wackiest White House Pets

4/14/2021

2004, Scholastic Press; Parent's Choice Gold Award

"Throughout the centuries, around four hundred pets have lived in the White House. Some were ordinary. Some were not. You might wonder how all of these creatures found their way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

A few pets arrived with their presidents. A handful simply wandered onto the White House lawn. One even turned up in the mail! But the wildest, wackiest pets were often gifts from kings, queens, and foreign officials."

Gibbs Davis

Davis is the author of more than twenty children's fiction and non-fiction books. In 2010 she published First Kids which featured Malia and Sash Obama. Davis is regularly invited to speak at several presidential libraries including the Kennedy, Bush, Carter, Truman, and National First Ladies’ Libraries.

David A. Johnson

Johnson (1951 - ) started out as a freelance illustrator for National Lampoon and CBS Records. In addition to illustrating numerous children's books, Johnson's work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the Atlantic Monthly and the Wall Street Journal.

Book Synopsis

Learn about the White House pets from Washington's horses, dogs, jackass, and parrot to George W's cats, dogs, and cow. Yes, a cow. Filled with humorous anecdotes and hilarious illustrations.

Informational picture book, 34 pages. White House pets come in some ordinary and not-so-ordinary sizes, shapes, and species.

Roosevelt's One-Legged Rooster

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
Wackiest White House Pets is a great book for a child to open flat on the floor and wander from President to President. The informational text may not be great for a cuddle-time, but it is a wonderful way to share history with the whole family.

Classroom Resource
Learning about the White House is relevant for children when the focus includes pets! There are curriculum packets about the First Pets available at the White House Historical Association.

Learning at Home
Wackiest White House Pets is a good introduction to learning the House's history. Elementary years are a good time to memorize the presidents which is easier when associated with a pet. And The White House Museum offers great curriculum resources for older children.

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Bye, Bye Motabhai!

Kala Sambasivan & Ambika Sambasivan

The Scrambled States of America

Laurie Keller

Book Synopsis

Learning Options

Wackiest White House Pets

Gibbs Davis

David A. Johnson

Book Synopsis

Learning Options

Stories Matter

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