Introducing a perfectly-imperfect story ~ featured in MaiStoryBook Library Collection:

“A Perfectly Messed-Up Story” by Patrick McDonnell

Book Synopsis and Review

Are you ready for a story?? Well, get ready~Once upon a time…  or so it’s supposed to go… ~* Louie is ready to share his story, singing his happy song and skipping along to tell his tale, when suddenly *Splat!* He is interrupted by   a -big- splat- of- Jelly! And not *jelly* from his story~ This is *outside Jelly*, splatting into his story. But then as if that wasn’t bad enough *Plop* comes some peanut butter, and soon some fingerprints smooshing all over his storybook pages. No matter how many times Louie tries to tell his story, a new mess appears. Soon, Louie is ready to give up. With all these messes… his story just ain’t worth telling! But wait…or maybe Louie might just discover that a little bit of mess, isn’t too bad at all~*

A perfect book for an interactive read aloud, your little one will be squealing with delight and fascinated shock as mess after mess bombards Louie’s beautiful book pages. However, besides being a fun read, this story imparts 2 valuable lessons: how *Not* to take care of your books, but also~ we’ll find out that a little mess isn’t always a bad thing- in fact, sometimes mistakes and mini messes can lead to the best creations and surprises of all!

Vocabulary

• Merrily (p. 2) happily
• Stain (p. 7) a mark that doesn’t go away
• Inspire (p. 14) makes you want to do better, or do something creative
• Awful (p. 19) bad, terrible
• Ruined (p. 22) broken, destroyed, can’t use it anymore

Themes/Main Ideas

• Embrace Life’s Messes– Be flexible. Things may not always go exactly according to plan, but sometimes that leads to the best adventures
• Take Care of Books – Use clean hands and be careful with your books. They are valuable and need to be taken care of.

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “A Perfectly-Messed Up Story” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

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*PB&J Splatter Art* Craft

It’s the summer month of sunshine and pool time~ the perfect time to enjoy some summer treats~like popsicles, and Pb& J’s! My ideal summer afternoon ~ dipping in the water, and then drying off while lounging on a beach towel, book in hand and big bowl of fresh, cold, sweet watermelon slices. The dribble of juices that run down to my elbows leave glistening snail trails on my forearms. Yummy treats often lead to sticky fingers or maybe a little spill or two, but don’t worry~ if we’ve learned anything from this week’s read aloud~ it’s that a little bit of mess is just *fine*, and mini mistakes can lead to inspiring revelations! *Plus, a little sticky fruit juice is nothing a dip in the ocean can’t solve* For this week’s craft, be prepared to use your imagination to turn your own mini messes into the ultimate art masterpiece!

Materials

• PB&J Splatter Art Toast Downloadable Printout
• A scoop each of Peanut butter and Jelly (or brown and red paint)
• Markers

Directions

• Print out the PB&J Splatter Art Toast Template
• Take a scoop of jelly/red paint and splatter it onto the paper toast.
• Take a scoop of peanut butter/brown paint and smear/splatter it onto the paper toast.

• Look for a moment at the *mess* of shapes you’ve created. Imagine what you can turn them into / or how you can turn them into art!
• Use the markers to add definition and details to your PB&J splatters.
• If you used real PB&J, be sure to take pictures of your art piece *unfortunately it won’t keep!*

Enjoy your *PB&J Splatter Art Craft*

• Share your creation with family members and friends. Tell them how you turned a *messy situation* into a masterpiece
• Print out multiple templates and encourage family and friends to be creative with you!
• Listen to MaiStoryBook’s interactive read aloud again, or reread the story, while creating another PB&J splatter art~ maybe you’ll be inspired!
• If you used paint, hang up your art piece to remind you that *a little bit of mess is just fine~*

*~Overall, have fun creating and sharing  your  *PB&J Splatter Art* Craft,  and I hope you and your little ones turn life’s little messes into exciting, new adventures!  – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary  – or post on FaceBook to share your photos of your own *PB&J Splatter Art* Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you!~*

*Check Back on Next Friday for our New Reading Adventure*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*