"Flashlight": An Illuminating Book (Especially for a Sick Child!)

A flashlight is great distraction for a sick child. We recently put that to a test...along with an illuminating wordless book by talented Lizi Boyd.

Our family is trading around a nasty summer cold!  My daughter has had to get creative in finding things for my two-and-a-half year old grandson to do, since he's been too sick to be running around or playing outside.

Enter
the
flashlight!

One of my grandson's best friends is "Puppy", a shadow playmate with a funny voice that my husband introduced him to a few months ago.  "Puppy" magically showed up on our ceiling one night, and it took quite a few visits before my grandson ever noticed his Grandpa's animated hand in front of the flashlight.  His little eyes were so riveted to the circle of light and the shadow puppet!

So the other afternoon my daughter got out our trusty flashlight and let my grandson have at it. "Little Puppy" was born!

And when he'd had enough of "Little Puppy", we got out his Madeline Shadow Puppets.  Then he had fun holding those up to the flashlight, while we read aloud a Madeline story.

Maybe because of all the shadow play my grandson experiences with his Grandpa, or maybe because it's just a super imaginative and detailed (wordless) book, Lizi Boyd's Flashlight has been requested over and over and over at our house since my daughter found it at the library. 

It's a perfect summer read - especially if you have a cold - because you can go camping in the woods without ever leaving your house!

You'll discover what a boy sees when he leaves his tent and ventures out into his dark backyard with his faithful flashlight.  Preschoolers will love naming all the animals illumined by the beam of light, as well as those still in the shadows.

I love the twist at the end.  Guess who ends up with the flashlight!

Stay healthy!  (But it sickness finds you and your family this summer, grab a flashlight.  Fun is sure to follow.)  

Go here for my other posts about shadow play books, and about how to make your own shadow puppet theatre.

Shadow Play and Groundhog Day: Contemplating Candles, Shadows, and the True Light

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February is drawing near! The second day of February might be Groundhog Day in the United States, but from ancient times Christians have observed it as a holy day celebrating the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth.

On this day in many Christian churches, we will bless candles and celebrate the Light of the World.

Luke 2:27-32 ...And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now let Your servant go in peace according to Your promise, because my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory to your people Israel."

Jesus's Presentation in the Temple with Simeon and Anna
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Shadows Aren't Just for Groundhogs! 
In the early days of Christianity in Europe, a folk custom arose that on this day (mid-way through winter, known as Candlemas in the West for the blessing of candles) if a hedgehog came out of its burrow and saw his shadow, he would return because there would be six more weeks of winter. 

Sound familiar? When German immigrants came to America, there weren't any hedgehogs here, so they put forth the test for light and shadow to groundhogs on February 2nd. (Go here for my past post, "Celebrating Groundhog Day with some Famous Hedgehogs.")

Making Beeswax Candles is a fun activity to celebrate Candlemas and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. You can order kits from Bella Luna Toys or Magic Cabin.

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Here are some fun books exploring shadows and shadow play, as a fun prelude to Groundhog Day...

Shadow by Suzy Lee - a nearly wordless book. (2010)

An adventure that begins in a cluttered attic with a little girl and the click of a lightbulb.  When you open Shadow, you'll notice the pages are designed with the images on the top page being reflected as upside-down silhouette images on the page below.  The book becomes the attic room itself, as the pictures reveal what the girl sees in reality along with the shadowed fantasies her own shadow-poses inspire. This book is a true "page turner", as your engrossed child will be excited to see what the imaginative little girl will think up next! Ages 4-8

Count! by Agnese Baruzzi. (2012)

Reminiscent of shadow puppet theatre, Count! will help your child to learn to count from one to ten, with dark, lacy silhouettes of creatures such as squirrels, owls, rabbits, and butterflies. Though the pages themselves are sturdy, the die-cut illustrations are very intricate - making this book appropriate for the hands of careful 3-year-olds and up. 

Shadow Play - a partially wordless book - by Paul Fleischman, pictures by Eric Beddows. (1990)

 

I love Shadow Play, but it's out of print, so you'll have to search for it at your local library.  A boy and a girl buy tickets for a tent show shadow performance of Beauty and the Beast.  But taking into account that appearances are "as thin and deceptive as...shadows", who are the real players?  Read it and find out! Ages 4-8

Step-by-Step Tutorials to Help You Make Your Own Shadow Puppet Theatre...

Make a Cereal Box Shadow Theatre - go here for instructions.

Go here for a fun tutorial for making a Shadow Puppet Theatre - with links to books, templates, and resources about shadow puppets.