Kindergarten Books on Review

A fun twist/variation of an alphabet book. All the letters are out of order. Each letter is personified and has a personality. The book starts out with the letter A (with eyes, mouth, arms and legs) saying “A is for app—,” but the letter A is cut off by the letter Z. The letter Z is upset because it always gets stuck at the end, so it jumps in and decides to start the alphabet from Z.

Then, P gets upset about still being stuck in the middle, so then the letters decide to go in a completely random order. The letters each have their own quirks and there are opportunities to discuss sharing, feelings, taking turns, etc. Bright illustrations, humorous dialogue, and side stories make this a great book! I loved it and would highly recommend for ages 4-7.

Pete the Cat is a series of popular books by New York Times bestselling artist James Dean. Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses is a poignant and funny story with a learning lesson. Pete the Cat wakes up feeling grumpy—nothing seems to be going his way. 

But with the help of some magic sunglasses, Pete learns

that a good mood has been inside him all along. Along the way Pete helps Squirrel, Turtle, and Alligator discover that the sun is shining and everything's alright!
Fans of Pete the Cat will love watching him take his positive outlook and transform a grumpy day into an awesome day by realizing how important it is to look for the good in every day. Perhaps even a learning lesson for adults who are reading the story.
Highly recommended for ages 4-7.

It's all a learning process figuring out how to be a kindergartner with rules and expectations and learning new things. In this picture they are lining up for recess with hands behind their backs. The teacher calls it "show me your tail feathers!"

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Cook's notes: These recipes have been previously posted but are worth repeating. 

Hot German Potato Salad

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 7 medium size red potatoes with skin on 
• ½ lb. of bacon-cooked and drained on a paper towel
• 1 medium onion
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 TB. sugar 
•  ¾ cup water
• 3 TB. flour (heaping) 
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• 1 tsp.celery seeds

Directions:

• Boil potatoes (covered) with skins on till slightly soft-you want to cook them until peel starts to split-don’t overcook 
• Drain and peel off skin,cut in quarters
• Fry bacon reserve 2 TB. bacon grease
• In fry pan add bacon grease and sauté onions
• Add sugar, vinegar and water-whisk on low heat 
• Add flour to 1/3 cup water and whisk that into sugar/vinegar mixture and cook till thick, adding in celery seeds and salt and pepper
• Add cubed potatoes and chopped bacon. 
• Cook on low heat 30 minutes (uncovered),  stir occasionally 

Apple Sausage Mixture
Ingredients:

• Polish Kielbasa (fully cooked and no fillers) 14 oz. 
• Smoked Sausage (fully cooked and no fillers) 13.5 oz 
• 2 apples peeled and diced in large chunks
• 1 onions diced
• 5 cups apple cider

Directions:

• Dice meats in 1-1/2 slices.
• In a large soup pot add meat slices, cider, onion, apples.
• Cook covered on low heat for 45 minutes or until apples soft.  
• Drain mixture and serve with red cabbage.