Dear Reader,
This Blog is designed for the parents, grandparents and caregivers of young children. Each post will highlight a great book that all children should hear, with tips to enrich beginning reading skills. You will also find fun recipes that go along with each story. Enjoy reading and cooking with the children in your life.
*Read to the children in your life every day. You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? By: Jane Yolen Illustrated by: Mark Teague
Ages: Preschool through Kindergarten
The Dinosaur series are wonderful books that cover a number of important issues that parents might have with their child’s behavior. How Dinosaurs Say Good Night? describes incorrect bedtime behavior and correct behavior. The lesson is an easy one when you watch a huge dinosaur acting it out. The story is done in rhyming verse and the illustrations are extraordinary. If you enjoy this dinosaur story, make sure to check out the other titles.
Reading Tips:
- Before reading the story, discuss with the child his/her bedtime routine and ask if he/she has ever tried to delay going to bed.
- As you are reading the story, discuss new vocabulary such as pout, mope,sulk, etc.
- After reading the story, ask the child to tell you some of the things that the dinosaur did to keep from going to bed.
- After reading the story, ask the child to tell you what a dinosaur should do before saying good night.
- After reading the story, go back through the book and find rhyming words such as night/light, pout/about, etc.
Additional Books in This Series:
- How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?
- How Do Dinosaurs Stay Safe?
- How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends?
- How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dog?
- How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?
The Dinosaur books are favorites of Judy’s grandson, Theo.
Cooking Time:
Dino Pizza Pockets
These little pizza pockets are fun to make and really good. They look a little bit like dinosaur tracks. You make this pizza dough from scratch and it is so easy that you may never buy prepared dough again. Children can help be adding the ingredients to the dough, mixing and rolling the dough, adding the fillings, pressing the edges and kitchen cleanup.
2 1/4 to 3 cups flour
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup pizza or marinara sauce
15 to 20 pepperoni slices
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
- Add the warm water (use a cooking thermometer to check temperature) and melted butter to the flour mixture.
- Mix well, adding additional flour to make a soft dough.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 4 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 14 inch by 10 inch rectangle.
- Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to make rounds of dough.
- Before filling, roll each of the rounds to about 4 inches.
- On half of the dough pieces, place 1 heaping teaspoon of sauce, keeping it in the center and leaving space around the edge.
- Add 3 to 5 slices of pepperoni on top of the sauce.
- Add 1 heaping tablespoon of cheese on the top of the pepperoni.
- Place a second dough round on top.
- Using a fork, press the edges to seal each pizza pocket.
- Place the pizza pockets onto the baking sheet.
- Combine the beaten egg and water.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top of each pizza pocket.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Heat additional sauce and serve with the pizza pockets.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
These cute dinosaur cookies are a perfect follow-up recipe for this wonderful book. This is an easy sugar cookie recipe that can be used for any event. Children can help by adding the ingredients, cutting out the cookies and decorating the dinosaurs.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Dinosaur cookie cutters
Buttercream Frosting (recipe below, can also use canned frosting)
Green food coloring
Mini chocolate chips
Mini M & M’s
- Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined (dough will be stiff).
- Divide the dough into two balls. Using a rolling pin, roll a ball of dough to 1/4 inch thick.
- Using the dinosaur cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on the parchment covered baking sheets leaving one inch between cookies.
- Bake the cookies at 375 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes.
- Place the baking sheets on racks to cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the sheets and return them to the wire racks to completely cool.
- Prepare Buttercream Frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
- Using a mixer, cream the softened butter.
- Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
- Add the milk a little bit at a time and beat on medium high to high speed until icing is the right consistency for spreading. Can add additional sugar or milk as needed.
- Beat until light and fluffy.
- For the dinosaurs, add a few drops of green food coloring to the icing.
- Spread icing on each dinosaur cookie.
- Decorate the dinosaurs, by adding a mini chocolate chip for the eyes and mini M & M’s on the body.
Makes 4 dozen small cookies.
