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Books, books, books!
Margaret's shows are book based. If you are a library that would like to have featured titles available, or if you attended and want to continue the magic of her program by reading at home, it's simple! Here are the titles of the books Margaret uses in her performances, with a little information about each one.

Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck This is the featured story in Sailor Maggie's Sail Into Books Show! A child has a deep sea adventure with a hermit crab, a swordfish, and discovers a pirate's lost treasure! Just as the little boy is ready to salvage the lost gold, a shark appears, and it is time to retreat to a safe distance. At the end of the book, Mom comes in and takes the child out of the tub. The illustrations are colorful, the idea is fun, and the message - imagination can be used anywhere - is beneficial.
Mean Soup by Betsy Everett A parent or teacher challenge is to get children to just get along with each other. This book is performed live with an audience volunteer in THE Bookworms Let's Read show. The story teaches children a creative way to manage their anger by making "Mean Soup". Teachers and parents will want to read this book and get a pot for the classroom or home 'just to stir your troubles and anger away.'
Kat Kong by Dav Pilkey Another THE Bookworm favorite from her Let's Read show. This is a hilarious parody of the popular horror classic - only a cat and mouse version! Children laugh their socks off when they see THE Bookworm tell this story with her puppets and props. They will want to relive this story again and again, and be encouraged to read other Dav Pilkey books too once Kat Kong is in their hands. Check out Dogzilla and Captain Underpants too!
Sylvester & The Magic Pebble by William Steig A Caldecott award winner and voted one of the top 100 books for children from the last century! They don't get any cuter than this one! THE Bookworm features this story in her Let's Read show. Children learn that the most important thing in the entire world is their family through this enchanting story of a donkey that accidently gets turned into a rock through a misfortunate wish on a magic pebble. This story was movingly told to Katrina victims with tears in THE Bookworms eyes at one of the Dallas shelters in 2005. It will bring tears to your eyes as well.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn THE Bookworm sometimes is called to perform for very, very young children, and this is one of her favorite stories to tell that audience. Toddlers and pre-school age children are often very reluctant to leave Mom or Dad for the first time to go off to school. This story is THE PERFECT story to read to the child before going to school or being seperated from parents for the first time. It teaches children a strategy to use to cope with their anxiety and fear on a child's level - by using "The Kissing Hand" for comfort. Kiss stickers are even in the back of the book that the child can play with!
Stand Back Said The Elephant, I'm Going To Sneeze! by Patricia Thomas When a teacher recommends a book by saying "This is always my students favorite book to read" then Masai Maggie listens! This book is featured in the show Wild About Reading with Masai Maggie. Children will relive this story of animal catastrophes when an elephant sneezes. This lively rhyming book will encourage children to read on their own because of the enchanting rhyming verse and lively imagery of things like "whales with peacocks tails" and the "alligators snout turning inside out" when an elephant threatens to sneeze in the jungle. All children love animals and this story will be one they will want to read over and over.
Hooray a Piñata by Elisa Klevin The Piñata is a birthday party staple in the Hispanic culture, and Señorita Margarita tells this story in her Fiesta de Mexico show with zest. Children all love a birthday party, and they will want to relive wonderful birthday memories when they read this favorite. They will be encouraged to learn more about the Hispanic culture as well. The book also gives an interesting history of the piñata in the very back. Children of all cultures will love reading this book!
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach - a Cuban folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy This lovely Cuban folktale is retold in Senorita Margarita's program "Fiesta de Mexico". It is an hilarious tale of a 21 day old cockroach who is now seeking a suitor to offer her hand in marriage. Martina rejects suitor after suitor for various character flaws until Abuela, her Cuban grandmother, draws her attention to the most perfect suitor of all. Martina is encouraged to just be herself as she is introduced to him. The tables are turned in a surprising way when her new love admits that he too had learned how to choose the best mate from his own Cuban grandmother.
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone A children's classic for years, when Bernice the Bunny tells this story in her Easter Show, the children all join in the fun by pretending they are one of the animals in the story. Bernice ties the story in with the life lesson that all children should learn how to be good helpers to others - such as to parents and teachers. This book will reinforce that lesson, and encourage children to not be lazy but to join in and help with the task at hand. Very young children will enjoy having this book read to them, and the older ones will be able to read the simple verse themselves at a very young age.
Too Many Toys by Betty Clark Generosity and charity is a lesson that is difficult to teach small children. How many times do we hear a parent say, 'You need to learn to share!' to their child? Alphie the Elf and Mrs. Claus both tell this enchanting story in their Christmas shows. This is another rhyming favorite of Margaret's. Children will be enchanted with the rhyming verse, but the lesson of the story is even more enchanting. A boy with too many toys gives his toys to Santa one Christmas so that Santa will have enough toys for all the girls and boys on his list after a computer error leaves him frantic at the last minute. In return, the boy learns the joy of giving is greater than the joy of receiving.
My First Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola This is a lovely resource to use when teaching children Mother Goose rhymes. The drawings are sweet. Margaret, aka Mother Goose, herself highly recommends it!
The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews This is one of Margaret's favorite edditions. Nina Crews has real life photographs which bring the rhymes into the 21st century. She uses many of the photos from her Bronx, inner city life. Children will be able to connect with Jack be Nimble as he jumps over a birthday candle on a cupcake. The lady that rides a white horse is on a merry-go-round. Georgie Porgie kisses girls on the playground. The cat and the fiddle are comically posed photographs that look like they could be real!
Mary Had A Little Jam by Bruce Lansky Children that know the basic Mother Goose rhymes will enjoy Bruce Lansky's parody version. This updated version includes things like computers and televisions that the traditional books never had. It actually brings this children's classic into the 21st century. After your child masters the original, this book will get their imiginations turning as to how they too could re-write some of their favorite Mother Goose rhymes in new and delightful ways!
Texas Mother Goose by David Davis Once children learn the basic Mother Goose rhymes, David Davis takes it a step further and "Tex-a-fies" them! This charming book is a great addition to any library bringing pun, parody, and Texas history into the mix of the traditional Mother Goose rhymes. Davis even brings forth some new Texas style rhymes that will delight the children. The illustrations are adorable and go well with the rhymes.
The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George This is a well written history of Thanksgiving for children, and is used by Singing Bird, Margaret's Native American persona, as the historical foundation in her Thanksgiving performance. This is a well written history of Thanksgiving for children. The book covers more than the holiday, revealing the motivations behind the peoples who met near Plymouth Rock. The history of Squanto, the American Indian who nobly helped the dying colonists, is shared in a moving way. It is a rare book where the history and the narrative are as engaging as here, in the story of the First Thanksgiving.
A Tree for Me by Nancy Van Laan In simple rhyme, Nancy Van Laan tells the joyous story of a child looking for a tree to call his own. He climbs five trees and discovers them occupied by everything from one owl nesting to five spiders spinning, until at last he finds the tree that's perfect for him . . . right in his own backyard! Told from a child's perspective, this engaging book has many levels: it's a counting book, a book of concepts, and a point-and-say book, and it also shows every child's desire to explore the big, wide world and know that the comfort of home is close at hand. Bold, graphic illustrations add to the fun, making this a great choice for young audiences. Margaret uses this story as part of her "Mother Nature - Spring is in the Air" program.

The Margaret Clauder Presents Her Favorite Books