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Well meerkats aren’t exactly magical, but there are certainly fun to watch either at the zoo or on Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor. Sometimes I think Meerkat Manor is a little too PG-13 for younger kids - too much death, sex and violence. So if you’re looking for something “meerkat-ish” for children three to six, check out Meet the Meerkat by Darrin Lunde from Charlesbridge Publishing.

Meet the Meerkat uses a question and answer format that should appeal to little children:

Hello, little animal. What is your name?

My name is Little Meerkat. I am a kind of a mongoose.

This would be a great book to read before a trip to the zoo. You’ll follow Little Meerkat into the Kalahari desert and learn about his life and habitat. Patricia J. Wynee provides scientifically accurate - and charming - illustrations. (Click here to download a coloring page PDF.)

Also by Darrin Lunde and perfect for Halloween is Hello, Bumblebee Bat (for children three to six). Again using the question and answer format, children are introduced into the life and habitat of the exotic and endangered Bumblebee Bat.

Speaking of bats, why not try baking up a batch of Martha Stewart’s Dulce De Leche Bat Cookies? These would be perfect to bring to the zoo for a meerkat or bat watching trip - or a Halloween party!

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In Defect by Will Weaver, we meet David, a 15-year-old who was born defective. In fact, he kind of looks like a bat with his bug eyes, pinched face, and pointed ears. But he hides several secrets from everyone including his loving foster parents. Even though he wears hearing aids, his hearing is super human and extremely acute. He also has a thin layer of skin hidden under each arm enabling him to fly.

David soon meets Cheetah, a girl with a defect of her own - she has epilepsy. They form a friendship and eventually a romance. But soon David’s secret is out. Should he get surgery to become more normal? Or should he consider his defects a special gift from God?

Teens who are struggling with feelings of being different because of medical problems will relate to Weever’s book. But everyone who reads Defect will care about David, a special boy who turns his curse into a blessing. (From Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishers.)

Click here for more YA Novel Reviews.

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From Charlesbridge Publishing comes, Sneeze! by Alexandra Siy and Dennis Kunkel. For fourth through six graders, Sneeze! features nine kids discovering nine different reasons for sneezing including allergens, dust mites, bright lights (a reflex) and viruses. The book features full-color pictures of sneeze-inducing irritatants, human nerves and neurons, all 400 to 222,220 times larger than life.

Since the book shows cells close up, a fun activity to go along with Sneeze! is Make Your Own Cell Cookies.

My son Nathan did this activity in his second grade science class. (Younger children could do this with some adult supervision and older children will enjoy it as well.) The kids in Nathan’s class loved this activity because of the hands-on approach to learning science by using food, and most importantly eating their creations after the activity was completed.

Make Your Own Cell Cookies

Materials:

1. Large sugar cookies (one per child)
2. Cake decorating frosting (at least 4 different colors)
3. Cake decorating candies (at least 3 different kinds) - good choices include licorice, M&Ms, small marshmallows, red hots, Jolly Ranches, etc. Nuts and dried fruit can be used, but beware of food allergies!

Activity:

1. Review plant and animal cells, organelles, and organelle functions. A great website for this is Cells for Kids, which has lots of links to similar activities
2. Explain to the children that they will be making their own “cell” cookie.
3. Each child should choose at least six organelles to create on his/her cookie using the frosting and decorations provided.
4. Allow children to be creative. After they finish their cell cookies, have each child identify the organelles on his/her cell cookie and explain their functions.
5. After they’re done, they can eat their cell cookie. Delicious!

The weather here in Colorado is beginning to cool, though the days are still warm. The leaves are slowly turning gold, red and brown. Wal-Mart just sent out its Halloween costume flier and the grocery stores are bulging with candy. Ah October.

Here at A Readable Feast, I’ll be reviewing books on magical creatures and anything Halloween-ish. I’ll also post lots of fun Halloween recipes and some pumpkin ones, too, like the one I posted last year for Egg Free Pumpkin Cookies. (You can look up last year’s Halloween book reviews and recipes by clicking here.)

So let’s start October with DRAGONS!

Produced by Charlesbridge Publishing, Ralph Masiello’s Dragon Drawing Book is a more sophisticated version of the Ed Emberley drawing books. Masiello explores the world of dragon lore, from the Australian rainbow serpent to the imperial dragon of China. His book shows kids grade four to six how to create their own magical dragons. Children follow the steps in red, with extra bonus steps in blue showing how to add more advanced details. Ralph Masiello’s Dragon Drawing Book also features a pronunciation guide and short lists of recommended books and websites.

Keep in mind that the drawings require 12 to 50 steps to complete. So you may want to purchase this book for only the most dedicated dragon fan or artist/cartoonist. If you’re looking for simpler how-to-draw books, check out Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Halloween.

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