Texas 2 X 2 Tuesday: Blackout

 

I realize that I posted yesterday that we would be talking about Geronimo Stilton's little sister's series today but I've decided to change things up a bit and focus on one of the 2 X 2 books for this year.  We'll talk about Thea's great new chapter book series tomorrow.  

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 2 X 2 books - it a list of 20 recommended books that is created every year by a committee of Texas librarians.  These librarians spend most of the year reading new picture books and then they get together and choose their favorite 20 for that year's 2 x 2 list.  They also develop very cool Parent - Child activities for each book. 

Click here to access the 2 X 2 reading list for this year.  

One of my favorite 2 x 2 books for this year is Blackout by John Rocco.  The front cover of the book sums it up well:  It was a normal summer night in the city.  HOT, NOISY, BUSY. And then...The lights went out, and everything changed.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing, because not everyone likes normal.  This is just a fun book to read and the illustrations are wonderful...  Blackout was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2012.    

Enjoy some of the recommended Parent Child Activities and Websites that go with this book... 

Parent Child Activities:

• Draw a picture using only the darker colors in your palette. It doesn‟t have to be nighttime, you could be in a cave, in space, or anywhere else it is dark.
• Grab a one-way lamp or flashlight and turn off the lights. Shine it onto a wall and make your own shadow finger puppets. 
• Declare a family game night! Go „screen-free‟ and play go-fish, board games, or just sit around (a fire outside?) and tell spooky or funny stories. 
• Find a large box, cut out one side and cover it with glued down white paper or fabric. Next cut out shapes from cereal or soda boxes and tape them onto sticks or old wire clothes hangers. Now you have a shadow puppet theater to tell stories with. 
• If you are lucky enough to have fireflies go out and chase them around the yard. 
• Lie under the sky on a blanket and count the stars. Do you see constellations or other shapes in the sky? Tell a story about what you see. . . or what you don‟t. What can you imagine way out there in space?

Websites:
 
http://tinyurl.com/7t2sa7n
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/astroskymap/constellations.htm
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/starfinder/
http://borge009.hubpages.com/hub/Hand-Shadows-to-Entertain-Kids-and-Adults
http://tinyurl.com/csvc8ey