Mrs. Good Choice is a former public school principal who has spent her life teaching children to make wise choices. She now wants to help YOU!
First off, I need to apologize for the long time frame between posts. I have been busy finishing an early chapter book series for young readers and beginning a middle school chapter book. I also work two part time jobs, one in an elementary school helping children with reading skills and the other, I am a Clinical Supervisor helping Student Teachers perfect their skills.
With that said, I hope that many of you have incorporated Mannerly Monday, Thoughtful Tuesday, Witty Wednesday, and Thematic Thursday into your children’s week! Would love to hear about your experiences. Please share at dawn@mrsgoodchoice.com.
Now it is time to add Fascinating Facts Friday to round out the week. I remember when I was a child, my younger brother hated to read books. The only books he ever showed interest in were books that discussed World Records. He would constantly rattle off facts to us out of the blue. My parents were happy that he at least was reading something.
Kids love interesting facts. Our world is full of amazing facts. A great place to start is by exploring books from your child’s school library and public library. There are many web sites to explore with your children. Here are just a few:
Cool Kid Facts https://www.coolkidfacts.com Fun Science Facts for Kids http://www.sciencekids.co.nz Weird But True https://kids.nationalgeographic.com
In my own research, I came across the following list of facts about some very famous books that you have probably already read to your children.
Here are 16 fun facts about your favorite children’s books:
1. On Market Street
Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel’s most famous characters, make a surprise appearance in another of his books, “On Market Street.” Look for them on the “T” page, hiding in plain sight as hand puppets.
2. The Cat in the Hat
It was born out of Dr. Seuss’s desire to find a more compelling way to teach kids basic reading skills, according to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial.
Goodnight Moon
3. Look for the mouse that appears on each page, and notice that the clock slowly changes from 7:10 to 8:10 as the book progresses. Another Margaret Wise Brown book, “The Runaway Bunny,” appears as an open book on the bookshelf in the background. Speaking of Margaret Wise Brown, she didn’t have any children when she died at the age of 42, so she left the rights to “Goodnight Moon” to her young neighbor, according to Mental Floss.
4. Clifford the Big Red Dog
The titular character of this classic children’s book series was almost named Tiny. Author Norman Bridwell changed the name after a suggestion from his wife, according to Scholastic.
5. Where the Wild Things Are
When Maurice Sendak was illustrating a book about horses, he realized he wasn’t very good at drawing them. Instead, he turned them into strange beasts. The book became “Where the Wild Things Are,” the Caldecott Medal award-winning children’s book.
6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter’s manuscript was rejected by publishers six times. Potter was determined to see her book in print and self-published 250 copies. Since then, it has sold more than 45 million copies.
7. Henry Huggins
After she realized that all of her characters in “Henry Huggins” were only children, Beverly Cleary, according to her website, added in Ramona as Beezus’ little sister. Ramona ended up as one of Cleary’s most famous and beloved characters.
8. Nancy Drew
The famous girl detective Nancy Drew might have been known by a different name. In the early stages of the series, the publisher considered naming her Stella Strong, Nan Nelson or Diana Dare, says January magazine.
9. Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss bet his publisher $50 that he could write a book using 50 words or less. He won, according to CNN, after creating “Green Eggs and Ham,” which contains exactly 50 words.
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Since it was first published in 1969, Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has sold a copy a minute, according to Mental Floss.
11. The Outsiders
When she was just 17, S.E. Hinton saw her book “The Outsiders” go to print.
12. The Polar Express
Keep your eyes open to find a white bull terrier in Chris Van Allsburg’s books, including “The Polar Express” and “Jumanji.” The dog is based on Winston, his brother-in-law’s white dog, says his website.
13. The Night Before Christmas
According to St. Nicholas Center, Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas” gave the world a modern description of Santa Claus: plump, bearded and the owner of eight reindeer.
14. The Phantom Tollbooth
None of the illustrations actually show the main character Milo in a tollbooth.
15. Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll’s classic introduced new words into the English language, including mimsy, chortle and jabberwocky, according to the Oxford Dictionaries.
16. Curious George
The authors of Curious George were forced to flee Paris during World War II’s German occupation, according to the New York Times. They weren’t able to carry much, but one thing made it into their suitcase: the original Curious George manuscript.Your child’s school library or the public library have numerous fact books to check out. I remember as a child, my brother hated to read books. But he loved books with World Records. He was always quoting us facts.
Children love to research new topics. When they are looking up facts, they are not only reading but learning in the process. Hope you enjoy your family time together.
💛Blessings until next time,💛
Dawn Young Ed.S Author
mrsgoodchoice 