Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug!

Recently she found Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! by Ed Emberley. I adore Ed’s books. So fun, so smart, so colorful and oh so silly, too.

Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! is about a big, mean and scary bug from outer space. His main mission is to scare, bite, growl, tickle, pinch, scratch, stomp and eat Itty Bitty Baby Bugs. However, the Itty Bitty Baby Bugs get the last laugh – it’s good to have big friends with big sneakers.

As I read this book to my daughter, I pretend to scare, bite and growl – but I really do tickle and pinch. We had a lot of fun with this one. For ages four to eight and their silly parents.  This has two rubber stamps of approval from the both of us!

Chicken Little

This colorful remake of the classic tale, Chicken Little, is done by Ed and his daughter, Rebecca Emberley. Rebecca has created more than 30 children’s books including her favorite, My Mother’s Secret Life . Of course the Emberley’s version of Chicken Little is a full on blast of fun and color when the crazy-eyed Chicken and all his panicked friends run away from the falling sky and right into… Well, you’ll have to read the story. I’m not telling. For ages four to eight.

Ed Emberley’s thumbprints

Check out Ed Emberley’s terrific website. It has a short author’s bio, a listing of all his books, and downloadable printables. He also has some drawing lessons using his famous thumbprint technique.

Thumbprints? Hmmm, how about some thumbprint cookies to enjoy while ready the Emberley’s books? As you can imagine, there are a zillion recipes for thumbprint cookies. Here are a few to make with the kids:

• Whole Wheat Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies Recipe from Pinch My Salt
• Jam Thumbprint Cookie from Just Baking
• Thumbprint Cookies – Vegan from Fun & Food Cafe
• Chocolate- Mint Thumbprints from recipegirl.com
• Honey-sweetened Thumbprint Cookies Recipe from 101 Cookbooks
• Thumbprint Cookies with Jam from Fun and Food Blog

The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus’ Birth by Daley Mackall takes kids back to the origins of another Christmas tradition – the baking of Christmas cookies to share with friends, neighbors, and the less fortunate.

The Gift of the Christmas Cookie: Sharing the True Meaning of Jesus’ Birth shows kids that Christmas is about helping others and sharing the spirit of Christmas giving. The story is about a child named Jack, follows young Jack during a Christmas season during the Great Depression. Jack’s father has hopped a freight train West, hoping to find work, and wont’ be home for Christmas.

Jack is surprised to find his mom baking cookies to give away to needy people a church. Treats are a luxury his family has done without for  long time. While he helps his mother make cookies, she tells him the story of the Christmas cookie. He learns that the real gift of the Christmas cookie isn’t just sharing with a homeless man, but sharing the love of Jesus with him as well.

I liked this simple story because it explains to children the joy in giving during Christmas and how God gave us his only Son. It also shows that Christmas isn’t all about getting presents and stuffing your face, but helping others, too.

The Christmas Cookie Recipe

The Christmas cookie tradition originally sprung from Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland where craftsmen carved special molds into shapes symbolic of Bible stories.

Simple Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups sifted flour
2. 3 cups powdered sugar
3. 4 eggs
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla
6. 1 teaspoon anise extract

Directions:

1. Stir all the ingredients.
2. Let the dough stand for two hours.
3. Then roll out the dough. Imprint with cookie cutters or use a designed rolling pin, or press into molds.
4. Let them sit while the oven preheats to 325 degrees.
5. Bake on greased baking sheets for about 15 minutes.
6. Place on a rack to cool.

More books from Zonderkidz

Another Zoderkidz Christmas book is We Believe in Christmas . What is Christmas really about? Find out why we place the star on the Christmas tree, and let the song “Silent Night” help you imagine the night Jesus was born. 

The book shows how the secular side of Christmas like shopping, Salvation Army kettles, and Santa are a reflection of the true Christmas sprit of giving and Jesus’ birth. Written by Karen Kingsbury, this book is for children ages four through eight.

I’m very glad that Disney tried to make these recipes as healthy as possible by using more healthful and lower fat ingredients. Go Tink!

Very Fairy Carrot Cakes
Makes about 25 small cakes.

Cake ingredients:

1. 2 cups whole wheat flour
2. 3 cups shredded carrots
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4. 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
5. 2 eggs
6. 2 egg whites
7. 1/2 cup canola oil
8. 1 tsp. cinnamon
9. 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
10. 1 tsp. baking soda
11. 11/2 tsp. vanilla extract
12. 1/2 tsp. salt
13. 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting ingredients:

1. 8 ounces lite cream cheese
2. 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Using a large mixing bowl, combine: eggs, egg whites, canola oil, sugar, apple sauce and vanilla.
3. Mix in: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Stir in: carrots and nuts
5. Grease 2 muffin pans
6. Fill muffin cups halfway up
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until you can insert and toothpick and have it come out clean.

To make frosting:

1. Use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, egg whites, vanilla and sugar
2. Beat until smooth.

To assemble cakes:

1. Turn cakes upside down and cut in half horizontally
2. Apply frosting to the middle and top (formerly bottom) of your cakes
3. Garnish as you wish.

Perfectly Pixie Nectar
Makes 2 magical servings

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cantaloupe melon – peeled, seeded and cubed
2. 1 lime, juiced
3. 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
4. 1 cup of ice

Directions:

1. With the help of an adult, combine the cantaloupe, lime juice, honey and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into your favorite cups and serve. Garnish with lime.

Quaker Oats has all kinds of yummy oatmeal recipes on their website. They even have a special section devoted to kid favorites like:

• Fossilized Egg Nest Chewies (great to make for a dinosaur themed party)
• Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies (try these at Christmas)
• Santa’s Stockings (another Christmas holiday treat)

Here’s one I couldn’t resist – perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Great Pumpkin Cookies
Makes 20 large cookies

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1-1/3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
7. 1 cup granulated sugar
8. 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
9. 1 cup LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
10. 1 large egg
11. 1 teaspoon vanilla
12. 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
13. 3/4 cup raisins
14. Decorating icings, semi-sweet chocolate chips, candies, raisins or nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheets.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Drop 1/4 cup dough onto prepared baking sheet; spread into 3-inch circle or oval. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets; remove to wire racks. Cool completely. Decorate as desired with icing, chips, candies, raisins or nuts.

Heck, these would be especially nice for a party. Or if your child were getting their tonsils out around Halloween. If you don’t live in warm sunny Florida, Texas or California, put away a few cans of pumpkin puree and make these next summer.

Sugar Pumpkin Pops
Makes six 8-ounce pops or eight 6-ounce pops

Ingredients:

1. 2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, homemade or canned (see note)
2. 1 cup milk (divided use)
3. 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (divided use)
4. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
5. 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6. 1 cup roasted, hulled pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Combine the pumpkin puree, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup of the milk, 1/4 cup of the sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin seeds.
2. In a bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk.
3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the popsicle molds until about 2/3 full. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Fill the molds to the top with the milk mixture and insert the sticks. Freeze for an additional 6 hours.
4. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds.

Note: When using canned pumpkin puree, add 1 additional cup of water in the first step.

To make a healthier version use 1% or skim milk and low fat sweetened condensed milk. Skip the pumpkin seeds if you think your kids will find them too weird.

Per serving: 261 calories, 11 grams protein, 14 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 28 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fiber, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodium