Kid's Book Club
with
For over forty years, Mercer Mayer has been
writing and illustrating stories about Little
Critter and the shenanigans he gets into
while growing up. The Little Critter books,
especially “I Was So Mad” and “All By Myself”
and “Just Go To Bed,” have always been favorites for all three of my kids. My son, Trevor, who is now 8 yrs old, still thinks “I Was So Mad” is one of the funniest books ever, and I probably have it memorized from the hundreds of times he had me read it to him as a toddler.
In the first book, “Being Thankful,” Little Critter isn't getting anything he wants. His friends get cool, big things, while he is stuck with boring, regular-sized things. But on a trip to the farm, Grandma shows Little Critter why thankfulness is so important and helps make any situation seem so much happier. In the second book, “Just A Special Thanksgiving,” Little Critter is going to have a Thanksgiving he'll never forget! From the school play to a town parade where he manages to get in the center of the action, to a surprise dinner for all of Critterville, including the homeless and needy, we celebrate along with Little Critter and his family as they give thanks during the Thanksgiving holiday.
When reading these books with your kids, there are many talking points about how Little Critter could have made better, kinder choices, and many opportunities to explain how important it is to always be thankful and kind.
Gratitude Jar Activity
Create a Gratitude Jar in your home for the month of
November, simply by gluing fall-colored leaves or putting
Thanksgiving stickers on a clear mason jar. Then have
everyone in your family place photos, memories, drawings
of special moments, notes about things they are thankful
for, and place those small pieces of paper inside the jar.
Then, come Thanksgiving Day, open the jar and read each
gratitude moment as a family.
BEING THANKFUL &
JUST A SPECIAL THANKSGIVING
BY MERCER MAYER
RECOMMENDED BY Jennifer Kovatch