Word of the Week/Pippi Longstocking

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every week the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write down the word and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is ignorant, an adjective meaning "lacking knowledge, information or awareness in general or about something in particular."

And we're reading Pippi Longstocking, in which a policeman says to the school-eschewing Pippi, "Yes, but just think how embarrassing it will be for you to be so ignorant."

Pippi Longstocking

Author/illustrator: Astrid Lindgren/Nancy Seligsohn

Publisher: Scholastic

Source: Public library

Pippi is a free-spirited girl who lives by herself (unless you count her monkey, Mr. Nilsson, or the horse that she lifts over her porch whenever she wants to ride him). She gets herself into all sorts of interesting situations:playing tag with policemen, performing circus acts better than the actual circus performers, dancing with burglars, and rescuing children from a burning skyscraper. Her neighbors, Tommy and Annika, join Pippi on many of her adventures while hearing her probably not-always-true tales of her family and of people in the faraway lands she visited when aboard her father's ship.

Tintin's note: My favorite part is when she beat the strongest man in the world for $100.

Johnny Boo's note: It's so great and rockin'! I like it because I like when she says that man has big ears.

Because it's been a couple of weeks since we've posted our favorite titles, here's a short list of what we've been enjoying lately:

Word of the Week/Ramona the Brave

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is spunky, an adjective meaning "lively, determined, and brave."

And we're reading Ramona the Brave, in which it says: She was determined that today would be different. She would make it different. She was her father's spunky gal, wasn't she?

Ramona the Brave
Author/illustrator: Beverly Cleary/Tracy Dockray
Publisher: HarperCollins (March 1975)
Source: Public library

Ramona is now in first grade, and although she can still be a pest at times, she's trying hard to grow up. She learns to read more grown-up words; she gets her own room (with imaginary monsters); and she becomes the bravest girl in the first grade, all while getting into the usual amount of trouble.

Tintin's note: My favorite part was when Ramona threw her shoe at the dog. I thought the dog might think it was stinky.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked when Ramona freaked out when she saw the dog.

And Tintin, from another room: He always says "freaked out." Don't believe him!

Johnny Boo, later: I liked when Ramona said, "Guts!"

Johnny Boo's drawing of the two Quimby sisters, with cut-off arms:

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is flabbergasted, an adjective meaning "shocked; surprised."

And we're reading Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, in which Lester's family is flabbergasted when he wins a blue ribbon for his bubble-gum art.

Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist
Author/illustrator: Ruth Spiro/Thor Wickstrom
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (August 2008)
Source: Public library

Lester's family is full of artists: Winslow and Cornell, Vincent and Claude, and on and on. Lester's artwork pales in comparison to that of his talented cousins, aunts, and uncles. He wants to be an artist, too, but the only thing he's good at is blowing bubbles. When Uncle Edgar gives Lester some advice, Lester listens, and all of a sudden he realizes that he can turn his bubble-blowing into an art form. Lester practices his newfound art, but when his tooth falls out during his rendition of Rodin's The Thinker, his bubble bursts and his confidence goes with it. After a visit and some reassurance from the tooth fairy (Edgar Degas in a tutu), Lester is ready to face his family and impress them with his bubble-gum art.

Tintin's note: I liked how he blew all the bubbles. They were like artists' paintings.

Johnny Boo's note: It was good and I freaked out.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Squirrelly Gray

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is succulent, a verb meaning "juicy; moist and tasty."

And we're reading Squirrelly Gray, in which Hungry Fox says to Squirrelly Gray, "Are you in need of assistance, my succulent young fellow?" 

Squirrelly Gray
Author/illustrator: James Kochalka
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (August 2007)
Source: Public library

Squirrelly Gray lives in a boring, colorless world where his only entertainment is the static on his TV. He's so bored that he thinks wiggling his teeth is fun. When those teeth fall out, he hides them under his pillow and tries to go to sleep. But then he hears someone calling for help and finds the Tooth Fairy stuck in a spider web. Squirrelly rescues her, and in return she gives him a magic acorn. With no teeth to crack open the acorn, Squirrelly tries to think of a way to find out what makes this acorn so magical, but can he figure out just what to do before Hungry Fox eats him? Bonus: This book is by the author/illustrator of Johnny Boo, one of our favorite graphic novel series! 


Tintin's note: My favorite part is when the hungry fox cracked the magic acorn and there was a rainbow.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it because it was great and awesome, and I liked it because there was freakin' out.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is concocting, a verb meaning "preparing by mixing ingredients."

And we're reading Chicken Soup With Rice, in which it says, "In May I truly think it best to be a robin lightly dressed concocting soup inside my nest."

Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months
Author/illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: HarperCollins (1962)
Source: Public library

In Chicken Soup With Rice, each month gets its own poem about chicken soup with rice and a picture to go with it. The little boy in the book imagines how he'll eat or serve chicken soup with rice for each month of the year: He eats it while sliding on ice in December and swimming under water in July; in June he pours chicken soup over his roses to pep them up; and he imagines himself as a whale spouting hot soup in November. All we need now is the song by Carole King to go along with the book.

Tintin's note: My favorite part is when the boy was eating chicken soup with rice with a snowman who was eating cake.

Johnny Boo's note: It was good and I liked it so much that I freaked out. I recommend this book to people who like freak-out stuff. 


Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Beezus and Ramona

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is exasperated, an adjective meaning "extremely annoyed."

And we're reading Beezus and Ramona, in which it says about Beezus, "Right that very instant she was so exasperated with Ramona that she did not like her at all."

Beezus and Ramona
Author: Beverly Cleary
Originally published: 1955
Source: Public library

Beezus Quimby loves her little sister, Ramona, just not all the time. Four-year-old Ramona is often exasperating and uses her big imagination to cause trouble. Beezus wonders if they'll ever have a perfect relationship like the one their mother has with their Aunt Beatrice.

Today, April 12, is Beverly Cleary's 95th birthday. To celebrate, the boys wore Easter bunny hats, just like the one Ramona wore. Here's Johnny Boo:

And for Muffin Tin Monday, they took one bite from each apple, just like Ramona did (although they were a little hungrier than Ramona was, and had to finish a few of them off before we turned the rest into applesauce):

And just to show you how obsessed Johnny Boo is with Ramona:

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is lurk, a verb meaning "to lie in wait or to sneak, as though to frighten, annoy or attack," as Tintin is now doing just to hear his brother scream.

And we're reading Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words, in which it says, "...while lurk and murk or moan and groan are just as dark as night."

Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words
Author/illustrator: Ann Rand/Paul Rand
Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 2006)
Source: Half Price Books


Originally published in 1957 by Harcourt, Brace & World, Sparkle and Spin is a book about small words and big words and what they are, do and say. It tells us how words "teach us how to talk to one another." With retro graphics (modern in 1957) by the graphic designer who created the logos for ABC, IBM, UPS and others, Sparkle and Spin is an eye-popping display of words.

Tintin's note: I liked the big huge words like tintinnabulate. The back looks glittery.

Johnny Boo's note: It was great. I was impressed by sparkles.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Bink & Gollie

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is implore, a verb meaning "to beg for urgently," as Johnny Boo does when he says, "I implore you to read Bink & Gollie to me again."

And we're reading Bink & Gollie, in which a note on Gollie's door says, "Bink: I implore you, do not knock."

Bink & Gollie
Authors/Illustrator: Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee/Tony Fucile
Publisher: Candlewick (September 2010)
Source: Public library

Bink and Gollie are marvelous companions who are complete opposites. Bink lives in a small cottage at the base of Gollie's modern tree house, and they see each other every day. Whether it's to share pancakes or peanut butter sandwiches or to fulfill their need for speed and adventure, the two are almost inseparable. In the book's three humor-filled short stories, the two learn to compromise and overcome jealousy. They go to a sock bonanza, followed by a "compromise bonanza;" after several interruptions from Bink, they meet up at the top of the Andes Mountains (which just happen to be in Gollie's living room); and, after the purchase of a fish named Fred, they learn that fish don't actually long for speed (at least not when roller skates are involved). The digital illustrations (black-and-white with some splashes of color) show off Bink and Gollie's personalities and add to the humor. This book is now a favorite in our house for both boys, especially as a read-aloud. I think we must have read it at least six times in the last couple of days.

Tintin's note: I thought it was really good. It's a fantastic book. I like when the river was frozen and the fish was still swimming under there.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked when Gollie makes pancakes. I liked when Bink got a fish. I recommend this book to people who like people.

For more about Bink & Gollie – the book and the girls – go to the Bink & Gollie website.

For more on Kate DiCamillo, check out Happy Birthday Author.

For more on Bink & Gollie and Kate DiCamillo, visit Johnny Boo's favorite blog, Watch. Connect. Read.

And here's the book trailer:

















Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Chibi: A True Story from Japan

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is chibi, a Japanese adjective meaning "tiny."

And we're reading Chibi: A True Story from Japan, in which the tiniest duckling is named Chibi: "Among the duck watchers was a news photographer, Mr. Sato, who gave a name to the tiniest duckling. Sato-san named her Chibi... ."

Chibi: A True Story from Japan
Authors/Illustrator: Barbara Brenner and Julia Takaya/June Otani
Publisher: Clarion Books (February 1996)
Source: Public library

Set in Tokyo, Chibi is the true story of a mother duck who settles down in a pool beside a downtown office building to raise her 10 ducklings. The people of Tokyo, including a news photographer named Sato-san, become mesmerized by the family of ducks and come to watch them, rain or shine. When the ducks grow too big for their pool, they venture across a busy highway to get to the moat of the Imperial Gardens. Not long after, a typhoon arrives, keeping the citizens of Tokyo inside and threatening the animals outside. When the storm dies down, Sato-san and others look for the ducks and find that Chibi, the smallest duckling, and two of her siblings are missing. The people worry, especially about their favorite, Chibi, and continue searching until finally Chibi reappears, albeit in an unexpected manner. The book includes a one-page glossary of Japanese words used in the book, such as Oka-san (Mother) and kamo (duck).

Tintin's note: It was very precious. I liked when Chibi was on that floating thingie because it was good to see him come back.

Johnny Boo's note: I like it because it's wonderful. And my name is Chibi now. It made me sad because I was lost. Quack quack.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Love That Kitty!: The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be a Cat

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is hapless, an adjective that means "luckless, unfortunate."

And we're reading Love That Kitty!, in which a boy pretending to be a cat pounces on "hapless, unsuspecting prey."

Love That Kitty!: The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be a Cat
Author/Illustrator: Jeff Jarka
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (September 2010)
Source: Public library

Peter wants to be a cat. He dresses up in a cat suit, he practices his balance so he'll land on his feet, he scratches the furniture, and he even uses a litter box. Peter's parents are not amused, until one day Peter decides he's had enough of being a cat and goes back to being a boy. Unfortunately for Peter's parents, their happiness is short-lived.

Tintin's note: I like the picture of his mom yelling at him when he's climbing the curtain because it's silly.

Johnny Boo's note: I thought that it was adorable. I like when the kitty is standing on the window.

For more about Peter, see Love That Puppy!: The Story of a Boy Who Wanted to Be a Dog, and for more on author Jeff Jarka, go to Love That Site!

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/How to Raise a Dinosaur

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is perplexing, an adjective that means "confusing, puzzling."

And we're reading How to Raise a Dinosaur, in which a boy helping us pick out a pet says, "Picking the perfect pet can be perpetually perplexing. There are so many choices!"


















How to Raise a Dinosaur
Author/illustrator: Natasha Wing/Pablo Bernasconi
Publisher: Running Press Kids (October 2010)
Source: Public library

Narrated by a young boy who is quite knowledgeable about all the usual kinds of pets – dogs, cats, horses, lizards ... and dinosaurs? – How to Raise a Dinosaur tells you everything you need to know to buy the right dinosaur and make a happy home for it. With lots of flaps to lift, the frightened expressions of passersby, and the humorous take on the similarities to raising a dog, this was an entertaining read for both boys and received more than a few laughs.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is taciturn, an adjective that is defined in our book as "reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little."

And we're reading The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis, in which Popeye describes his new friend Elvis as taciturn: "But Elvis just kept on walking in that way of his – head down, fists jammed in his pockets. Taciturn."

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
Author/illustrator: Barbara O'Connor
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (September 2009)
Source: Public library/Scholastic book fair (donation to 2nd grade classroom)

Popeye is a bored and lonely boy who lives in Fayette, South Carolina, with his grandmother, Velma, and his uncle, Dooley, whose bad aim with a BB gun gave Popeye his nickname. Things start to change when Elvis comes to town and the two go off looking for a small adventure. When they finally find one, the boys need to figure out how to get to the bottom of the Yoo-hoo boat mystery without incurring the overprotective Velma's wrath and before the motor home in which Elvis and his family live finally escapes from the mud near Popeye's house.

Usually for our Word of the Week we pick a book that I read to both boys, but since Velma teaches Popeye a new vocabulary word each week ("taciturn" is one of them), I couldn't resist using this one. I chose this book from a book fair wish list for Tintin's classroom and had it inscribed with Tintin's name. Of course, he was so proud that he donated a book to his classroom that he immediately chose it for his DEAR (drop everything and read) time. Well, I wanted to read it, too, so I got it out of the library and decided to have a little contest with him to see who finished first. I've never read a Barbara O'Connor book before this one, but we've both decided that we want more.

March 1 update: Tintin told me tonight that he finished the book yesterday and then started it over again during his DEAR time. He read up to chapter 10 today.

I didn't want to leave Johnny Boo out, so we explained a little bit about the book to him and then we all went looking for a small adventure of our own while pretending to be the characters from the book (Tintin was Elvis, Johnny Boo was Popeye, I was Elvis's sister, Prissy, and LitDad was Elvis's brother Calvin). Here are Elvis and Popeye near a slightly more suburban creek than the one in the book:

We didn't find any Yoo-hoo boats with secret messages floating around, so we made our own (we're still calling them Yoo-hoo boats, even though they're made from Horizon Organic chocolate milk boxes):

And here's our beef broth boat carrier:

















Barbara O'Connor has a great video on her blog with instructions on how to make your own Yoo-hoo boat. Be sure to check out the rest of her blog, too, while you're there.

Find The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis: Amazon, IndieBound

Word of the Week/Two of Everything

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book once a week and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word on Sunday night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week.

This week's word is humble, an adjective that in this book means "simple; not fancy."

And we're reading Two of Everything, in which an old and very poor couple lives in a humble hut.

Two of Everything
Author/illustrator: Lily Toy Hong
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1993)
Source: Elementary school library

Based on a Chinese folktale, this is a story about Mr. and Mrs. Haktak, a farmer and his wife who eat from their garden and trade their vegetables for the things they need. One day Mr. Haktak finds a pot and the two Haktaks discover that when something goes in the pot, twice as much comes out. After figuring this out they decide to double their money so they can buy anything they want, but when Mr. Haktak returns from a shopping trip to the village, he startles his wife so much that she falls into the pot. What happens afterward made Johnny Boo want to read this book a second time.

A book to go along with Two of Everything: How the Ox Star Fell From Heaven, also by Lily Toy Hong.

An activity to go along with this book: Magic Pot Game.

Disclosure: We are an IndieBound affiliate, which means that if you click on the Two of Everything link in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with IndieBound.

Word of the Week/Imogene's Last Stand

It's time for our Word of the Week (formerly Word of the Day) feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book once a week and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word on Sunday night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week.

This week's word is immortal, an adjective meaning "living forever" or "famous and likely to be remembered for a long time."

And we're reading Imogene's Last Stand, in which Imogene says, "...in the immortal words of Martin Luther King, Jr., 'We are made by history,'" and then goes on to quote several more immortal words throughout the book.

Imogene's Last Stand
Author/illustrator: Candace Fleming/Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (October 2009)
Source: Public library

Imogene is a girl obsessed with history. When she finds what she thinks should be a national landmark in her own hometown, she tries to convince the mayor and the rest of the townspeople that it's too important to tear down. Peppered with famous quotes throughout, the book also includes on the endpapers the stories behind the quotes.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Disclosure: We are an Amazon and IndieBound affiliate, which means that if you click on any links to Amazon or IndieBound in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with Amazon or IndieBound.

Word of the Day/The Big Book of Magical Mix-Ups

It's day 5 of our Word of the Day feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book every day and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word at night and the next day we try to use it in conversation as much as we can.

Today's word is stubborn, an adjective meaning "refusing to change one's ideas or listen to others' ideas," as in "Johnny Boo was too stubborn to let Tintin choose the word of the day."

And we're reading The Big Book of Magical Mix-Ups, in which one of the many possible combinations of spells is "Squeeze the blood out of a stone, hide the remote control, make a unicorn sneeze and pat a bald man on the head. This will turn a stubborn babysitter into an exploding doughnut."

The Big Book of Magical Mix-Ups
Author/illustrator: Hilary Robinson/Nick Sharratt
Publisher: Scholastic (March 2010)
Source: Half Price Books/home library

This colorful spell book with split pages lets children turn mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, babysitters, teachers and friends into food, animals, articles of clothing and more. There are lots of hilarious (and preposterous) combinations for kids to enjoy.

Some books to go along with The Big Book of Magical Mix-Ups, most of which link to Amazon UK (you can also find them through the link to Half Price Books above): The Big Book of Crazy Mix-Ups, Ketchup on Your Cornflakes?, Mixed Up Fairy Tales, A Cheese and Tomato Spider.

An activity to go along with this book: Make your own mix-up book (something we'll try later today if the boys aren't being stubborn about it).

Disclosure: We are an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you click on any links to Amazon.com in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with Amazon.

Word of the Day/The Shrinking of Treehorn

It's day 4 of our Word of the Day feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book every day and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word at night and the next day we try to use it in conversation as much as we can.

Today's word is shirk, a verb meaning "to avoid doing something that should be done." I'm sure we'll have lots of opportunities to use this word.

And we're reading The Shrinking of Treehorn, in which Treehorn's principal thinks Treehorn is shirking instead of shrinking.

The Shrinking of Treehorn
Author/illustrator: Florence Parry Heide/Edward Gorey
Publisher: Holiday House (1971)
Source: Public library

Treehorn is shrinking, but no one seems to care very much. His mother, father and teacher, when they're not wrapped up in their own problems, think he's either behaving badly or just trying to be different. This book, along with Treehorn's Treasure and Treehorn's Wish, is part of a trilogy.

A couple of books to go along with The Shrinking of Treehorn:

An activity to go along with the book: Make your own slow cooker Shrinky Dinks.

Disclosure: We are an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you click on any links to Amazon  in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with Amazon.

Word of the Day: February 5 (The Odious Ogre)

It's day 3 of our Word of the Day feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book every day and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word at night and the next day we try to use it in conversation as much as we can.

Today's word is indefatigable, an adjective meaning "able to continue for a very long time without becoming tired" and which I suspect will be used right before the boys' next bedtime.

And we're reading The Odious Ogre, in which Ogre explains that one of the reasons he's got such a fearful reputation is that he's indefatigable.

The Odious Ogre
Author/illustrator: Norton Juster/Jules Feiffer
Publisher: Michael di Capua Books (September 2010)
Source: Public library


Almost everyone is afraid of Ogre. Besides being indefatigable, he's invulnerable, impregnable, insuperable and insurmountable, all words he learned from the dictionary he swallowed while consuming a librarian. While out for a walk, however, Ogre comes across a girl whose kindness confuses him so much that he doesn't quite know how to react.

A couple of books to go along with The Odious Ogre:

A couple of activities to go along with the book: an ogre dot-to-dot and how to draw an ogre.

Disclosure: We are an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you click on any links to Amazon  in this post and purchase anything, we will earn a small commission through our relationship with Amazon.

Word of the Day: February 4 (Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty)

It's day 2 of our Word of the Day feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: The boys and I choose a different book every day and they pick a word from it for which they don't know the meaning. They each write the word at night and the next day we act like Pee-wee Herman every time someone says the word (until one of us gets annoyed and we just say the word and shout out the definition).

Today's word is masticate, a verb meaning "to chew."

And we're reading Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty, in which Bad Kitty masticates (and gobbles and munches) all of his favorite foods (from an aardvark bagel to a yak zabaglione) for a special birthday breakfast.






















Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty
Author/illustrator: Nick Bruel
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (September 2009)
Source: Scholastic book fair/home library

It's Bad Kitty's birthday and she really wants a cat scratcher. What will happen if she doesn't get what she wants? The guest list at her party is full of interesting cats from the neighborhood, plus Poor Puppy, and Uncle Murray makes appearances throughout with his "fun facts" about cats.

More Bad Kitty books (both picture and chapter): Bad Kitty, Poor Puppy, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray (which we might get at this year's book fair if the ice here in Dallas ever melts) and, coming in June 2011, Bad Kitty Meets the Baby.

Activities to go with the book: Check out the Bad Kitty website for games, a trailer, a drawing activity, a word search, "Bad Kitty Bad Libs," and a word scrambler.

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