Monday, September 19

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl | Book Report



Title: The Magic Finger
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake 

Characters:
  •  A little girl
  • Mr. Gregg
  • Mrs. Gregg
  • Philip
  • William

Location: The Gregg's House 
Time: in span of 3 days

About: A little girl who puts the Magic Finger on anybody who upsets her and makes her see red. Later on, after the Greggs shoot sixteen ducks and kill a deer, the little girl puts the Magic Finger on them and replaces their arms with wings. Then, after the Greggs get locked out of the house by four human-sized ducks, almost getting shot at by ducks and everything turns back to normal, the Greggs changed their surnames to Egg, destroyed the guns, and fed the birds and became friends to all animals, all thanks to the Magic Finger.



My Favorite Event: When the ducks pointed guns at the Greggs
My Favorite Character:  The little girl
Because she:
  • is smart
  • is a lover of nature
  • is funny 
Overall: The Magic Finger is a surprising, and interesting book that bookworms would love to read.




Sunday, September 18

Growing Oyster Mushrooms At Home



Maybe you like oyster mushrooms, my family and I love them. Sometimes, when my dad goes to the fresh market he sees them on display and buys some right away. The only problem is, the pack of oyster mushroom is a wee bit pricey, for the small amount in a pack. One day, however, my mom received a package of mushroom kits from PotHed Inc.

She told me that they were gourmet mushroom kits, which lets us grow our own mushrooms at home. It takes around 10 to 14 days before they fully grow, like the one in the picture, we could harvest and cook them for a meal (YUM). It is affordable too. The grey oyster mushrooms, like the big ones in the picture, cost 75 pesos but, I don't know how much the pink and the white kits cost, but I'll bet that they're affordable too. It's organic as well. And they are quite easy to grow, we just had to water and watch!

When we grew the mushrooms, first, we chose a dark place, a spare cabinet, so that it would not get exposed to direct sunlight and so that my younger siblings won't get them. Then, we used the trays to catch excess water and the bottle sprayer? Well, we used that to keep the mushrooms hydrated. It takes 10-14 days for mushrooms to grow. It was nice to have the growing kits which can yield up to four times, after we harvest the first batch, we can just continue to water them regularly and we get to have more mushrooms. After that we add the leftover soil into our compost pit in the front yard vegetable garden. So, technically, it means that all parts of the kit can be used! So I hope you like this, thanks for reading!



Matilda by Roald Dahl | Book Report


Title: Matilda 
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake

Characters:
  • Matilda
  • Lavender
  • Miss Honey
  • Miss Trunchbull
  • Mr. Wormwood
  • Mrs. Wormwood

Location: Crunchem Hall
Time: School year

About: It's about a little girl named Matilda, who's parents think that she is a nuisance that should watch TV and read no books at all. But Miss Honey, her kindergarten teacher, knows that she is a genius. Matilda is more intelligent than most people think, and she has discovered that she has the power to move things with her mind, with that and her extraordinary way of thinking, her mean family and a really horrible headmistress had better watch out!

My Favorite Event: When Miss Trunchbull got terrified when she found a newt swimming in her "necessary" glass of water.

My Favorite Character: Matilda of course!

Because she:
  • is clever
  • is brave
  • is kind
  • is thoughtful 
  • loves books

Overall: The story of Matilda is an interesting, adventurous, funny and mysterious book that kids are sure to love.




Thursday, September 15

Happy 100th Roald Dahl


September 13 of this year marked one of my favorite author's 100th birthday, Roald Dahl. He wrote amazing children's books such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine and the Magic Finger.

I have watched 2 movies based on some of his children books, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory plus Matilda which is one of my favorite films to date. I can't wait to read the books and compare them with the movies as a homeschool activity this year. Roald Dahl's books are very humorous, adventurous, and are sure to attract a bookworm's attention. His books are also fun. How would you enter a world of fantasy where you could find a five-year old reading a dictionary, A friendly giant, or an army of birds and a couple of monkeys turning a whole room upside-down? Read a book of course! And in this case, Roald Dahl's books are the best books to do it. (Roald Dahl says: "You can write about anything for children as long as you've got humor.")


Mommy got me these 2 titles (I already finished reading The Magic Finger a while ago and currently reading Matilda) and she promised to get me the rest of Roald Dahl's works appropriate for my age, to add to our home library. I can't wait to collect them all! I hope she gets me a copy of BFG before the movie is released.

Again, Happy 100th Birthday Mr. Roald Dahl! Thanks for the wonderful books you wrote for us to enjoy!



Wednesday, September 7

Matryoshka Dolls | The Little Hulk's Thing


Most young little rascals prefer having the latest everyone-wants-this toy. Not my little brother! The Little Hulk seems to like wooden matryoschka nesting dolls. Now, let me share with you what I know about these Russian wood crafts:

"Matryoshka" are Russian wooden dolls with smaller dolls stacked within the bigger ones. In the province of Russia, the name Matryona or Matriyosha was a very popular name for girls. It was derived(to obtain something from a specified source) from the Latin root 'mater' which means 'mother'. It came from the mother of a big family who was very healthy and fat. Then the name "Matryoshka" was used specially to describe brightly painted dolls with smaller ones stacked inside each of them. The first Russian nesting doll made by Vassily Zviozdochkin and Sergey Maliutin had 8 pieces in it: a girl with a black rooster, followed by a boy and then a girl and so on. The last figurine was a baby in a diaper.

The first nesting dolls of Sergiev Posad showed this colorful life: young girls dressed in Russian sarafans carrying baskets, scythes, bunches of flowers or dressed in winter fur coats and scarves; old believer women in their conservative clothes; a bride and a groom holding candles; a shepherd with a pipe; and old man with a beard. When they were still developing the technique, as well as girl images, boy images were made too.And sometimes, the dolls showed a whole family and members of the household.

One more fact: Only 12% know the doll by its proper name- "matryoshka."

Anyway, I bet you know more about the matryoshka dolls now that you've read this! See you later!


Monday, September 5

Boxcar Children


The Boxcar Children Series is one of the book sets that I collect for my library. These books are exciting mystery and adventure books. They are about 4 children who once lived on their own in an old boxcar. The eldest is named Henry Alden, and the second eldest is a girl named Jessie Alden, followed by another girl called Violet Alden, and the youngest is named Benny Alden.

The Aldens now live with their grandfather, James Alden, a rich and joyful-and-kind(and rich) kind of person. When their parents died, the children  were worried that their grandfather was a cruel old person. So, after looking for a good place to stay, they discovered an old boxcar in the woods. Then, after a few finishing touches, BOOM! The perfect place for them to stay, near a village where Henry worked in a garden for a kind doctor and his wife. When Violet got sick =6 and they found their grandfather, they lived with him in his big house. And he even put their old boxcar in the backyard for them to play in. Forget joy-and-kind, any old person who could just do that without hesitating is a nice-and-joyful-and-rich-and-kind kind of person =3. And the kids really loved their grandfather!

Since they lived with their grandfather, the Boxcar Children have encountered lots of mysteries (I love mysteries, so do they) and new friends. Overall, I say that The Boxcar Children Series are great for those who like mysteries, like me. Anyway, Have Fun Reading!




Saturday, September 3

The Magic Tree House #37: Dragon of the Red Dawn | Book Report



Now here is my Book Report on Dragon of the Red Dawn, one of my favorite Magic Tree House books. This one, in particular, is a Merlin Mission.

Title: Dragon of the Red Dawn
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Characters:
  • Jack
  • Annie
  • Teddy
  • Kathleen
  •  Basho

Location: Edo, Japan
Time: Early in the morning

About:

Jack and Annie go to Ancient Edo (now known as Tokyo) to find one of the four secrets of happiness, to help Merlin the Magician because he wouldn't eat, sleep or talk to anyone in Camelot. Now, Jack and Annie find a famous poet named Basho, who they stay with to be safe from the samurai. The next day, there was a fire! Everyone was trying to put it out including Jack and Annie. After trying their hardest, Annie uses the Wand of Dianthus to call the Cloud Dragon who controls the rain clouds. Then the dragon puts out the fire (although no one else noticed) which happened after Basho's hut is destroyed by the fire. But soon Jack and Annie cheer him up with the things he has left: his banana tree and his poems. And afterwards, they found out the first secret of happiness: finding beauty in small things of nature.

My Favorite Event: When the Cloud Dragon put out the fire
My Favorite Character: Annie
Because she:
  • Likes to pretend
  • Likes nature
  • Is always eager for an adventure  
Overall: The story was exciting 

Oh well, I hope you liked this and I know you'll enjoy the book. HAPPY READING! 

Note: By the way, look closely at the cover picture and check to see that the dragon is drooling :)


Friday, September 2

National Book Store | My Personal Store


Other kids prefer getting toys on their birthday or as a reward for doing good deeds, I don't. I love going on a shopping spree at the nearest National Book Store branch for books, and supplies. Whenever my Loly or Honey, who are both OFWs ask me what I want for a gift, they already know that a trip to National Book Store will be my answer.

Since they both live in another country, they ask my aunt Jaja to go with me to National Book Store to get books and art supplies, mostly paper and notebooks. Just give me paper, glue and scissors, and I will make you any paper structure. With paper, a pencil and some coloring pencils, (ideally Faber Castle) I will draw you anything (except a realistic person and a horse that looks real) you want.

I also like making crafts like a lap desk out of a cardboard box and a bracelet made of pipe cleaners. I'm always looking forward to make a new craft everyday. That is why National Bookstore is what I would prefer and why it feels like my own personal shop.


Thursday, September 1

The Magic Tree House Series


After deciding to build our own library, my mom discovered a number of amazing book series that we could collect. One of them is the Magic Tree House series penned by Mary Pope Osborne. I already have a total of 19 books, the 3 you see in the photo are my mom's latest acquisitions for me from her book swap group she found on Facebook. She gets great deals by buying these secondhand books or what they call "preloved." I hope we get to collect all of them!

The Magic Tree House Series are about 8 and a half year old Jack and his little 7 year old sister Annie who live in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Jack and Annie find a mysterious tree house in the Frog Creek Woods, and discovered that it was filled with books. Soon, they found out that the tree house was magic! All they had to do was point at a picture in a book, wish to go there, and the tree house would take them there. Pretty soon they found out that the tree house belonged to a magic librarian called Morgan le Fay from the time of King Arthur. Then Morgan and later, a wizard called Merlin, set them on special missions.

There are currently 55 books in the series and they have a website: www.magictreehouse.com, where you can play games, create your own magic tree house, and even fill in your own magic tree house passport by taking trivias on the Magic Tree House books that you have read! Plus you can send letters and ask questions to Mary Pope Osborne herself! Hope you like this!



Charlie and Lola Book Finds


For those of you who are not familiar with this particular TV show, Charlie and Lola is based on an award-winning book series written by Lauren Child. I first saw the show when we lived in Zambia, a country in the continent of South Africa, for almost 2 years. It was a hit series on the BBC channel for kids, CBeebies. The story is about Charlie who is always teaching his 4-year-old little sister, Lola, all sorts of things. Whether it's trying new foods, getting a haircut or losing a tooth, Charlie's been there and is happy to share his wisdom with little sis. The series is geared toward preschoolers and incorporates family values, humor and the power of the imagination.

We have all 81 episodes, and my younger brother and I have watched all of them, memorized most of the episodes even. Mom was very excited to find books both board and softbound, perfect for the young future bookworms of the family. This is her latest batch of Charlie and Lola finds.

Lauren Child's books are my brother's favorite books. Sometimes, I find myself  playing Charlie and Lola with him. My mom likes the original Charlie and Lola books, like the award-winning I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato we have a picture of above. My brother, The Little Hulk's personal book collection is a Charlie and Lola collection, in other ways, we both have a book collection! (Only mine is bigger)