Mummies! Me-oh-my!

 Oh there's witches, and vampires,

Big monsters that go bump in the night,

Werewolves are howling,

So many creepy creatures are out tonight!

Mummies are mumbling incomprehensibly

Wrapped in their bandages

These faceless creatures are out for a night of fright!
-Fawn-

I love that there are tons of legends, cultures, and folk lore that you can look into, and teach about around Halloween.  This does greatly depend on the age of the child you're talking to.  As I've grown I love looking into and learning more about different cultures and learning about the origins of all these eerie curiosities. If you celebrate Halloween or want to look into different cultures or myths there are countless lessons and books you can focus on, but for today I'm going to share just about Mummies.

Let's start with a fun fictional picture book that's great for the little ones and a "spooky" story time.
Where's My Mummy?


Written by Carolyn Crimi
Illustrated by John Manders

The title is such a cute play on words and you know that is the complete theme of the book where could mommy be?  I like that they give you the intro to why mom is missing, they are playing a game of hide and and "shriek" and little mummy starts searching for Mama Mummy.  Where do mummies hide? Well you'll have to look in the deep, dark woods, and the cave, and the slithery swamp, and all over the place.  Little Mummy isn't afraid of these places or the creatures that live in them, he's brave when the blob comes out, and even for Drac, but what creature does give him a scare and make him yell for his mom?  You'll have to read and find out the cute thing that does scare him.
This cute story is a lot of fun to read with your little ones.  I love the sounds and how you can slow down the words and make it nice and spooky then chime in (or have your child help you read) "I'm not scared!" in a big brave voice.  I think this repeating of "I'm not scared!" is empowering and when the little mummy does get scared it's silly and yet Mom is right there.  A very sweet story.
The illustrations are playful.  They are dark and suspenseful when you first get to a new place to look for Mummy, but when the monster that was in that section is revealed it's colorful and funny. I love the details, and emotions in the illustrations.  Your children will be laughing throughout Where's My Mummy? as they watch the bedtime routine for all the spooky characters.

Skeleton Meets the Mummy


Written by Steve Metzger
Illustrated by Aaron Zenz

Sammy is a skeleton who is excited about going out to get candy with his friend Derek, but before he meets up with his friend and has some fun he has to take soup to his grandma, and walk through the dark forest all alone.  Each noise startles him and he tries to calm his nerves "it's only a bat, a tree, or the wind," but then he's sure something is following him! Sure enough there's a mummy behind him!
What kid (or adult) isn't afraid of walking through the woods at night?  At 30 I can still relate to this book!  That's a bit embarrassing to admit! But it's true.
Sammy runs from the mummy at first but then decides to confront his fear and unravel the mummy.  Who can the mummy be?  Of course the mummy isn't real, and the Metzger ends the book on a funny note with a joke.
This is a great way to tell kids that it's OK to be afraid of something, and you can comfort them with some information like how even some adults are afraid of the dark and that science says that this fear is linked with have a good creative imagination!  You can take time to talk about what they may be fearful of and let them know that that's normal.
The exaggerated facial expression are the focal point of Aaron's illustrations.  With colorful and simple silhouettes all the focus is on how Sammy is feeling.


Now as children get older or question about mummies there are many interesting books you can use to teach the history of mummies and about real mummies!

In my searching for mummy stories of both fiction and nonfiction I came across this awesome chapter book duo:
The Magic Tree House:
Mummies in the Morning (fictional)
Research Guide: Mummies and Pyramids (a nonfiction companion to Mummies in the Morning)

Written by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca

I did not read Mummies in the Morning but I did check out Mummies and Pyramids.  I love how this is a research guide to take kids through how the Osbornes found information to use in their story.  This is a fun and easy way to learn a lot of information about ancient Egypt and all about mummies. They included about everyday life, religion, tomb treasures and robbers.  I found the part about the funerals fascinating and learned a lot there that I didn't back in 6th grade when we studied Egypt.  There are black and white illustrations on every page which will help not only with the point of the text but also to keep readers focused.  I loved studying the art and reading the side notes.

Egyptian Mummies a pop-up book


Written by Milbry Polk
Illustrated by Roger Stewart
Paper-engineered by Jose R. Seminario
Art direction by Jim Deesing

Obviously since this is a pop-up book it's interactive.  Not only are there pictures popping out of the pages but there are little flaps to reveal more information or illustrations.  We often think of pop - up books for small children but this one has small print and a lot of great detailed information packed in it's 8 pages.  This is not a board book for babies and toddlers as it can easily be damaged, no this is aimed for children 7 and older.  Did you know it took at lease 15 days to wrap the body?  This fact along with many other around why Egyptian's preserved their deceased in such a way and how they did it are in these pages.  Take time to check out this fun learning book.  Want to see more of Egypt and the pyramids and tombs?  Check out Egypt Cradle of civilization

Want to move past Egypt and learn about all sorts of Mummies all over the world and how researchers have learned to learn from them without destroying them?
Outside and Inside Mummies


by Sandra Markle

Sandra dives deep into the science of studying mummies.  She tells how the way people have studied these preserved bodies have changed over the years, what we are still learning today and why people want to study these old bodies.  I love how Markle uses photographs to show real mummified bodies and xray images showing not only bones but also inside the body to see lungs and the packages they stuffed inside the body before wrapping.  This is an intense and in depth book that if for those older children who really want to know more, or are studying mummies or love science and medical fields.
A fun science experiment or project for all ages is at the end of the book: Make your own mummy!  (you use an apple!) but it's awesome to give kids a hands on project to go with history and science.


Some other nonfiction Mummy books that are on my list to check out are:


I hope you found these books fun or interesting as I have.  Wrap up your mummy filled week with some mummy movies:


Not sure what to be this year for Halloween?  Why not a mummy?

Pumpkins!!

There are two types of people come fall....

Those who are thrilled over pumpkin everything and those who are rolling their eyes wondering why someone would ever ruin an Oreo or coffee with pumpkin spice.  Which are you?
Regardless of your take on pumpkin flavored and scented everything you can't deny that pumpkins are a staple decoration and food in the fall.  This isn't much of a surprise because it's the time of year when they come into harvest, and these orange fruits have some great stories and activities to go along with them.  I have complied a very small stack of pumpkin filled books for you to enjoy with your little ones of both fiction and non fiction.


The first book I have for you goes out to all of you that are in disgust over the pumpkin spice monopoly.
Too Many Pumpkins

written by Linda White
Illustrated by Megan Lloyd

When Rebecca Estelle was growing up her family could only afford pumpkins and that's what she ate each year.  She vowed that she'd never even look at a pumpkin again when she was older, and she didn't until one day.... and unforeseen event happens and her yard is full of pumpkins!  What is she to do with her unplanned pumpkin patch?
If you grew up on a low income or ever struggled you can relate to Rebecca and her distain of pumpkins. What I love is how Linda White turned this around into something good and beautiful at the end.  It's such a sweet story.
This is a wonderful book to have a conversation with your child about how you will use your pumpkins.  What would you do with a yard full of pumpkins?  What pumpkin food was made that you'd like to try?
The illustrations!  Oh I love cover, it's eye catching.  The look of shock on the lady's face and her cat while looking at a pumpkins all over just sets the tone for the book.  The colorful and animated illustrations continue throughout the book.  I love the facial expressions on Rebecca as each event unfolds.

 Now that we've read about having Too Many Pumpkins and what Rebecca did with her's let's explore how to grow a pumpkin and make a favorite tasty treat.
Grow a Pumpkin Pie!

written by Jane E. Gerver
Illustrated by Tammie Speer-Lyon

This cute book really is self describing in the title.  Jane goes over the steps for planting and growing a pumpkin, then to harvest it and turn it into a pie all while rhyming.  This simple level 1 reader from Scholastic helps those kids just learning to read on their own with short sentences and high frequency words.  This is a non fiction book that goes into how to plant and grow a pumpkin and then very simply it shares about fall and how to bake a pie.  I wish they actually did give the full recipe at the end of the book but more than likely everyone has their own family recipe.  Instead of a recipe at the end there are a few reflections aimed at young readers.  So you have a maze to do, match the pumpkins, sequence of events, and a rhyming activity that all match the words used in the book.  These activities are fun for the children and work to show comprehension and reinforce phonic skills.
This book would be a fun book to read in the spring before planting a garden and talk about what you want to grow and what steps need to be taken.  Then read it again this time of year for harvesting and making your treat.

Now that we know how pumpkins grow and what we can make with them...what about a story about a pumpkin that grew a little different than all the rest?
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin

written by Joe Troiano
Illustrated by Susan Banta

While this story is clearly a work of fiction the lesson in it is so dear.  Spookley is a square pumpkin (clearly that's stated in the title) but he's the only one and he doesn't like that he can't roll around like the other and doesn't like feeling different.  This is something a lot of kids and people can relate to.  Of course we are all different because we aren't robots and if we were the world would be so boring, but this is not how you picture things when you are young and are trying to fit in with everyone.
While Spookley is feeling like the odd pumpkin out a storm comes in and tosses all the round pumpkins all over and a couple break a hole in the fence and are lost to the bay.  Spookley sees that he can stop the others from the same fate and saves the day.  When the farmer discovers the one square pumpkin he saves Spookley's seeds and the next year grows all odd shaped pumpkins.
Fun fact you can incorporate with this book, while round is the natural shape of pumpkins and many other fruits and veggies but there is a company who has successfully made square watermelon!  Check out how and why they did.

Another book that teaches about how differences are good is:
The Bumpy Little Pumpkin

written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

 The Bumpy Little Pumpkin is about a family of Big Mama, two big older sisters and a little girl named Nell.  They grow their own pumpkin patch and when it's time to pick their pumpkins to carve each older sister picks out a big pumpkin.  Only Nell finds a small little pumpkin that's bumpy that she likes.  The sisters tell her to pick a smooth one but Nell decides to keep her own and ends up with a cute Jack O'Lantern.
I find it neat how Margery included animals in this story.  There's a reindeer, a bear, hare, crow, Cardinal, and Sparrow who all help Nell in carving her pumpkin and felling better about the pumpkin she chose.  This book offers a couple great lessons you can expand upon.  If you have a little zoologist on your hands you can dive into each type of animal listed and learn more about them.  Study what type of birds you have in your back yard this time of year.  Also you can compare how each pumpkin is different and how it's okay to have one that is so odd looking because you can make something unique out of it.  There's also the obvious "now let's make our own Jack O' Lantern."


Speaking of Jack O'Lantern's where did that tradition come from?  Read this folklore book that started this tradition and be sure to check out the link above to see what History.com had to add to this legend.
The Story of the Jack O'Lantern

written by Katherine Tegen
Illustrated by Brandon Dorman

This bit of folklore that is retold comes from Ireland and is hundred's of years old.  There once was a mean old man named Jack who made a deal with a Devil and when it was his time to pay the Devil back he caught the coal thrown at him in a carved pumpkin and was cursed to wander the earth.  In short that is the story.
I hadn't heard this before so I found it interesting and of course Katherine Tegen goes much more in detail and has a fun animated story to read aloud.
The dark illustrations done by Brandon Dorman really capture the rotten spirit of Stingy Jack.  Even the daytime images are in non vibrant colors so there's a feel of foreboding and a different time period.  The illustrations I really love in the book are the ones at night.  I love how he captured the crisp fall night sky, with scattered clouds, and the shadows and how the moonlight reflects off the pumpkins.  The feeling of a late October night is perfect and beautiful to look at.
Fun fact learned in the author's note: the original jack-o-lanterns were carved out of potatoes, beets, and turnips.  Would you try your hand at carving something as small as a beet?

I love looking at carved pumpkins, and it's on my bucket list to go to a pumpkin house where there are hundreds of carved pumpkins to view.  I would love to do that!  Want to try to up your carving game?
Extreme Pumpkins 2:  Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors

by Tom Nardone

I'm going to highly recommend this book for those kids who are crafty and into Halloween.  I love Tom's added comments like his taste comparison of different pumpkins for cooking.  (Did you know there are different types of pumpkins?)  This book reads like a cook book with notes from your mom's funny best friend!  You are gives a list of items (ingredients) you will need and shown a picture of what you can potentially make, and then you are given some directions and set on your own to see what you can create.  Please use this book with adult supervision!
Need some carving tools?
One last book I want to leave you with is a nonfiction from National Geographic Kids all about...
Halloween

by Laura Marsh

As a general rule of thumb, you can't go wrong with National Geographic especially the ones aimed for children!  I have several of their books and we read them often.
I find that this book is a bit different than the NatGeo animal books we read in that it has many open ended questions throughout it.  These questions are great because it's engaging in conversation.  Another thing that is different in this book from most others is that it has jokes.  Yes, they are corny kids jokes that you use to read on go-gurts or Popsicle sticks, but they are still funny and kids love them!
After the first couple pages you get into the fun facts and more in depth information that you would expect to find like how pumpkins grow (did you know each pumpkin has about 500 seeds in it?!) and gives you some ideas on ways to decorate your house.  There's a page the mentions the traditions of Halloween and another one for The Day of the Dead.
Overall this book is great for young children because they love having the chance to talk and getting to respond to questions in a book.  After first grade I think they might be looking for more of a story or more information.  Compared to other National Geographic books I have this one didn't quite meet my expectations but it's still a fun and easy read for younger children.

Since I only touched the tip of the pumpkin pile of books if you are still looking for some other ones check out these two other blogs:

Pumpkin Books Perfect for Reading this Fall

10 Picture Books about Pumpkins

Hope you enjoy these books and if you have a favorite pumpkin themed book I didn't list please comment it below so I can check it out!!

The Seeds of Fall

Welcome Fall!

While many people think of the trees and leaves as dying right now, is death the right word to use to describe what is happening?  It's actually not. (Check out what I learned about this in Full of Fall on my last blog post.) Sure the leaves themselves die, but the tree doesn't.  And there's more than just the lose of leaves that's going on this time of year.  Think of all the seeds we see this time of year and what is happening to them. I love when I pick up a children's book and learn something new and I have two books that focus on seeds to share with you today.

Because of an Acorn

Written by Lola M Schaefer and Adam Schaefer

Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon

Along with leaves falling everywhere this time of year, there are acorns everywhere. I love listening to them fall down through the trees, and watching the chipmunks and squirrels scurry about gathering them.  I think that's one fall activity that is often overlooked so I love how this book brings this activity to mind.

Because of an Acorn is a fantastic, simple book about the circle of life.  I love that you can see and get a sense of the circle of life without it being too emotionally overwhelming for children.  I think the authors did a beautiful job of showing how each part of a forest ecosystem is connected.  That acorn grows into a tree, the tree houses all sorts of wildlife, and because of each one something else comes to live and grow.  Fran Preston-Gannon has done a wonderful job detailing each part that is  highlighted in the text and foreshadowing what will happen next.  The illustrations are full of color and dominate the pages.  I love how Fran has made sure to include so many other animals and parts of the forest that aren't in the text, you see a bear and cub they they aren't mentioned, but this shows so much more of the ecosystem and brings up more for conversation.

 The sequence of event is flawless! The lessons you can make off of this one simply written book are countless.  The dedication says, "For all the naturalists, young and old -L.M.S and A.S." and they are right, it's a book that as an adult I find beautiful but it's written on a level for children to understand.  Looking at this book as a teacher I can see lessons for preschoolers all the way up through biology class being tied into this book.

Lesson ideas from this book:

Study Acorns: Dissect one.

Who lives in a tree?  Who lives in the forest?

Circle of life.

What is an ecosystem?  Take it farther with notes from the afterword in Because of an Acorn and examine how that would effect the environment if one part of the system was changed (died off).

Do some Acorn Crafts for adults or kids (Thank you Pinterest!)

Some additional learning games for children:
Collect acorns or use some fake or wooden ones for counting, sorting, or markers for fall bingo

I know I have shared the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel game before, but our preschoolers really love this game and it goes so well with this book I have to share it again.  And check out the Acorn Soup game I found for children age 2:



A Seed Is Sleepy


Written by Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrated by Sylvia Long

The very first thing to take me in with this book is the astounding detail in the illustrations!  Sylvia Long has done a fantastic job showing each seed, plant, the flowers, fruit, and leaves.  The colors are bold and brilliant and draw the reader in.

This book came highly recommended to me from a librarian who knows how much I love being outside and nature.  This is a book I get wrapped up in just studying it.  Each flower, and seed are labeled and the amount of information packed into this kids book really is amazing and makes it a book that any adult can pick up read and learn something new from.  We had lessons in science about the stages of seed growth in school, but I didn't learn the different parts of a seed.

Dianna has made a very diverse, non fictional book about seeds that's completely captivating.  I say diverse because there are (in my opinion) three different ways you can read it.  There is the main sentence "A seed is sleepy...A seed is..."  so if you have a group or a child with a shorter attention span you can just read it that way the build up to reading more in depth.  For my five year old daughter I read her the main sentence and the bold part that starts to explain what they mean by sleepy or thirsty.  Then there are longer paragraphs that go much farther in depth to talk about a certain seed which is really neat.

This is one book that isn't focused on fall.  It's a book you can read in the fall because many plants go to seed in the fall like the acorns falling or another way to look at it is that the seeds have grown and their fruit is ready or the seeds are ready to harvest.  This book would also be great to break out in the Spring  and read about seeds then and do your own grow kit.

No matter the season, I hope you take the time to look over both of these wonderful books and notice the small details in life.

The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock

My family and I love the outdoors! We go camping, hiking, horse back riding, and are open to anything else that gets us into nature.  If I have an hour or so that I have free and alone I love to go sit in the woods and read or write.  I think connecting with fresh air, and taking in the sounds and sights of nature without houses, roads, or tons of people recharges us.

I was recently talking to a friend about news I heard of protections being lifted off of many national park lands, and so how worried I am about how these beautiful wild lands will change.  I know when I finally get to go see the Grand Canyon I don't want to see massive mining next to it, or the water to be full of runoff and toxins due to mining.  I want to go see the beauty of this land untouched by man.

As my friend and I were talking she told me that I should read about one of her favorite presidents, who started protecting lands, and in reading and doing research I have to agree with her, Theodore Roosevelt is one of my favorite presidents as well.  Now let me share this wonderful book with you

The Camping Trip That Changed America:
Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and our National Parks


Written by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

Barb Rosenstock has done a great job at telling us a bit about both Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir, and how they came to meet each other.  They both loved nature.  John Muir fought to get people to care about the wilderness and wanted to protect land from over development.  Roosevelt as president loved to read, and he read a book by John Muir that inspired him to reach out to the author.  He set up a camping trip to go on after one of his trips out west.  This camping trip that Barb tells the story of is what set up our national parks.

The book goes one to tell of the men's time in the woods.  In the Author's Note at the end of the book Barb tells how there is little record of what the men talked about so she did the best she could.  I think she did a great job and in reading it, it flows so well.  As a naturalist who spent so much time out in the woods I'm sure Muir did have encounters with bear, and knew many great details to tell Roosevelt.

Black Bear at Grandfather Mt, NC

As I read to my children we were completely taken in with Gerstein's unique illustrations that combines sketches and watercolor.  We (my children and myself) learned a great deal about this part of history and nature.  My girls favorite page was the giant sequoias, that I had to turn the book.  I loved the part where John tells of running into a bear: "...the bear had the better manners!"

Science teachers will love the part in the book telling of how the land has changed over time.  Muir tells how the land was underwater once, and how volcanoes and glaciers formed the landscapes.  This is a great bit to discuss.

The very last page of the book has even more information and quotes and more resources.  I love this page and made sure to read it to my kids along with the picture book part.  There were so many more facts on that page that just didn't fit into the narrative Barb told.  It made me want to learn more, and made my whole family want to go and see so much more of our national parks.

I want to share with you these facts on Teddy Roosevelt and how he changed America to what we have today:
*He declared the first 18 National Monuments
*He founded the first 55 bird sanctuaries and game preserves
*He added 148 million acres to National Forest
*He doubled the number of National Parks

This wonderful book, is a work on non-fiction, meaning it's true, we get a chance with this book to look back on history and discover something new, and I hope that in reading this that we can look to the present and the future and see how we can help preserve the wild, and be more environmentally mindful. 

  Today we have
* 417 National Park Sites
*There are 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. These lands total 193 million acres.

I really hope everyone takes the time to read The Camping Trip That Changed America.  If it inspires you to check out even more I will have other books for adults and children at the bottom of this post for you.

Have a great rest of your week and go out into the wood and explore nature!  See why we are so passionate about it!


More information:
Scientific American: Worse and Worse the Trump Administrations continuing war on national parks
National Park Conservation Association: 2017 in Review, 10 worst actions for parks
The Hill: American's Parks and Public Lands Suffer
wilderness.org Mining next to the Grand Canyon