Monarch nominee

	The Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Children's Choice Award 2010 Master List Sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association
	2010 Nominee: The Perfect Nest A very hungry cat tries to build the perfect nest for the perfect omelet, but the eggs have a different plan... Author: Catherine Friend Biography and Photo Illustrator: John Manders Biography and Photo
Book Activities	Discussion questions: How does the cat try to trick the birds? Why are the birds fighting over the nest? Why is the nest perfect in the end? Reading/oral language: Discuss nests. Show examples of different kinds of animal nests. Do people have nests? Name some. Writing: Write a story from the point of view of the hatching chick. Write a story about what happens to the birds after they leave to find another nest or what happens to the cat and the hatchlings. Add another bird to the story, i..e. a turkey. Math: Compare the size of the birds, the size of their eggs. Make graphs based on size of bird, size of egg, color of eggs, number of eggs, days to hatch, etc. Science: Compare ducks, chickens and geese. Research facts about the birds and hatching online. If you are brave, hatch chicken eggs. Social Studies: Learn about chicken farming. How many chickens and eggs are produced in the United States each year? Cooking/Snack: Brainstorm all the ways you can eat eggs. Have the kids "invent" an omelet recipe; then find recipes for omelets and make your own omelet! Art/Drama: Make your own perfect nest! Use any supplies available. Music/Movement: Find a song that could be played as background music for the book. Curl into a ball and pretend to be a chick hatching. Technology integration: Record bird data in Excel and make charts. Use the Smartboard or a projector to make a Venn diagram comparing two or all three birds.
Related Book	By Catherine Friend: Eddie the Raccoon Related books: Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston Two Eggs Please by Sarah Weeks Zinnia and Dot by Lisa Campbell Ernst Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox
Websites	Omelets made easy Baggie omelet Poultry farms
Monarch Home	2010 Nominee Resources