Category Archives: Picture Book Projects

Turtle’s Terrific Town

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turtle's terrific town

Why go to town, when you can BE the town? One turtle ventures forth to find the answer!

We read The Town of Turtle, written by Michelle Cuevas, and illustrated by Cátia Chien (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018). Turtle lives a quiet life with only his shadow for company. But he dreams of a big, beautiful town full of light and laughter. So he decides to build one on his shell, complete with houses, gardens, parks, a library – even an ice-skating rink! Exhausted, Turtle falls asleep, and his dream ventures forth to other animals, telling them of the amazing new town. Enchanted, they move in. When Turtle awakes, he is surprised to find exactly what he always wished for – a lively town of happy friends, riding right on his back!

You’ll need:

  • 1 corrugated cardboard base (ours was 7″ x 10″)
  • 2 toilet paper tubes
  • An assortment of small boxes and tubes
  • An assortment of construction paper
  • Scissors, tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

turtle tableFirst, build your “turtle table.” This is a corrugated cardboard base with 4 toilet paper tubes halves attached to the bottom. We used heavier weight poster board for the head and tail, but construction paper works too. Then, gather assorted boxes and tubes to create a town!

finished turtle townWe offered patterned paper and construction paper to decorate the boxes. The windows and doors are old mailing/file labels and dot stickers. Some green pom-pom shrubs finished the look. But some kids opted to simply decorate their boxes with markers. Really, anything goes!

Two questions: 1) Does this project remind anyone of Terry Pratchett’s Great A’Tuin; and 2) Have you seen this awesome cake version by Kayleigh’s Creations?

Love Grows Strong

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love grows strong

Nurture your garden of family and friends’ names with heart confetti, sprinkled from a watering can. Katie designed this project, and she upped the “awwww!” factor to eleven, folks!

We read Plant a Kiss, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (Harper Collins, 2012). Little Miss plants a smooch in the ground, and it grows into a sparkly, gorgeous feeling of love. And what does she do? Shares it, of course! Beautiful book.

You’ll need:

  • 1 box (ours was 4.5” X 4.5” x 9” – a large tissue box works too)
  • Assorted construction paper (but definitely include green)
  • 6 green pipe cleaners
  • 1 name flowers template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ white card stock
  • 1 small oatmeal container
  • A box cutter
  • 1 toilet paper tube
  • 1 strip of poster board (ours was 1″ x 8″)
  • Red poster board
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

family flower box

To make your flower box, fringe green construction paper and attach it to the inside perimeter of the box. Color and cut the flowers from the template, and write the names of  loved ones on them. Then tape each flower head to a green pipe cleaner and tape the stems inside the box. We added a crepe paper streamer and ribbon to the outside of the box as well, but this is optional.

watering canThe watering can is a small oatmeal container wrapped in construction paper. Use a box cutter to cut a hole for the “spout,” which is a toilet paper tube that has been cut down to 2.5″. Attach a poster board handle, and then decorate everything with (optional) color masking tape or markers. The final touch is heart confetti:

watering can heartsOur confetti was a blend of foam shapes, iridescent fabric hearts, and red poster board hearts (the construction paper versions were too light, and tended to jam in the spout). Drop your confetti in the watering can, and gently shake over your garden to share the love!

Blue Skies for Narwhal

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blue skies for narwhal

Just because you live in a fishbowl, doesn’t mean you can’t dream big! We made these adorable narwhal tanks, and then hit the road with a little red wagon so our aquatic friend could take in the sights and sounds of the wide, wonderful world!

We read Someday, Narwhal, written by Lisa Mantchev, and illustrated by Hyewon Yum (Simon & Schuster, 2017). Narwhal lives an unexciting life inside her fishbowl. The view barely changes, even when she gazes at the blue sky outside the window. Narwhal dreams of seeing the world, but her lack of feet, concerns about getting lost, and fear of the cold keep her from venturing out. Happily, her friends (Boy, Bat, Penguin, and Giraffe) work together to take Narwhal on an unforgettable trip in a little red wagon. The world awaits!

You’ll need:

  • 1 clear plastic favor box
  • 1 narwhal template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ white card stock
  • 1 small piece of clear elastic beading cord (ours was 2.5″ long)
  • Yellow tissue
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

If you want to make a wagon, you’ll also need:

  • 1 large tissue box
  • Red construction paper
  • 2 drinking straws
  • 1 piece of string (ours was 15″ long)
  • 1 wheel assembly (more on this below)

narwhal tank

We used 4″ x 4″ x 4″ clear plastic favor boxes for our narwhal tanks (a 25 pack is currently $18 on Amazon). Place yellow tissue paper on the bottom of the tank, and add some (optional) mini sea shells.

Now for the narwhal! It’s two sided, so color and cut both the right and the left-facing narwhal pieces from the template. Tape a 2.5″ piece of clear elastic beading cord to the back of the left narwhal, then tape the right narwhal on top of it. Measure for height and tape the free end of the clear beading cord to the top of the tank lid. Done!

red wagon and narwhalIf you’d like to make this awesome tissue box wagon for your narwhal to ride in, you’ll find the instructions in this post. Then wheel your narwhal outside for a little walk!