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The Hungry Bookworm

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children's

Kids Edition: Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball + "Dirt" Pudding Cups

March 27, 2021 by Megan Leave a Comment

We received Sometimes I Like to Curl Up Into a Ball second-hand. I didn’t realize it’s part of a Little Wombat series and is quite popular! Either way, it is quickly becoming popular in our house. Henry will often grab it and bring it over to have it read to him, and with the fun story and cute pictures, we are more than happy to oblige. 

Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill and Charles Fuge
Available on Bookshop.org and Amazon

In it, a wombat takes children through his day, where he plays with his friends — all sorts of animals including a koala, turtle and rabbit. He likes to make funny faces, jump as high as he can, play in the mud, and of course, sometimes, he likes to curl up in a ball. 

I drew inspiration from the page where the little wombat plays in the mud with his friends:

“Sometimes I like to get in a real mess, 
with mud on my feet and my hands and my chest.” 

In the illustration, he is sitting in the middle of a garden with his friends a rabbit, frog and a worm. He is completely covered in mud and smiling. 

It reminded me of a dessert I made once as a kid — we called it a dirt cup. It was actually pudding with crushed Oreos on top and some gummy worms too. 

I found a recipe that required no cooking or hot ingredients, so Henry could help me make it.

First, I made the pudding, which I did by whisking 2 cups of cold milk into a packet of instant pudding and allowing it to thicken for 5 minutes. Then, I combined it with the thawed Cool Whip. (This is where I let Henry help, though I gave him his own small bowl and spatula.)

He also, of course, wanted to help me mix the big bowl of pudding.

Once the pudding and Cool Whip were mixed, I scooped it into clear cups.

Pudding Cups

I topped it with crushed Oreos, which I crushed by breaking them up in a large Ziploc bag. (This could be a great activity for older kids, or more interested toddlers — I tried to have Henry help but he wasn’t very into it.) 

"Dirt" Pudding Cups

Then, I added a couple of gummy worms to make it look like the messy scene in the book.

"Dirt" Pudding Cups with Worms

Not only was this an easy-to-make snack, it was delicious too. A perfect pairing for this charming children’s story.

Dirt Pudding Cups inspired by Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball
"Dirt" Pudding Cups with Worms
Print Recipe

"Dirt" Pudding Dessert Cups

Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Dessert, Snack

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding, 4 serving size
  • 8 ounces frozen whipped topping such as Cool Whip, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed sandwich cookies such as Oreos, about 16, divided
  • Gummy worms

Instructions

  • Whisk together the milk and instant pudding for 2 minutes, until pudding is completely dissolved. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.
  • Stir in frozen whipped topping and 1/2 cup of the crushed cookies.
  • Spoon into individual (clear, if possible) cups.
  • Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies over the pudding mixture. Top each cup with 2 gummy worms. Chill for at least 60 minutes or until ready to serve.

Notes

From: The Spruce Eats

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: children's, chocolate, dessert, easy prep, snack

Kids Edition: Thank You and Good Night + Peanut Butter Cookies

February 27, 2021 by Megan Leave a Comment

When Henry was still a very tiny baby, we fell in love with a book I’d never even heard of before — Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell. We insisted on starting a bedtime routine around 3 months old and settled on: bottle, pajamas, book, bed. Almost a year later, bedtime remains the same (except the bottle is replaced with teeth brushing). We also always read two books, and this is often one of them.

Available at Bookshop.org and Amazon

In this book, three friends have a sleepover. Jean the elephant and Alan Alexander the bear spend the night at their friend Clement the bunny’s house. They play and play and eat and play until they are exhausted enough to finally go to bed. 

[Read more...] about Kids Edition: Thank You and Good Night + Peanut Butter Cookies

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, children's, cookies, easy prep, five ingredients or less

Kids Edition: You're My Little Pumpkin Pie + Pumpkin Pie Crisp

November 21, 2020 by Megan 2 Comments

One of our favorite books this fall has been You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshall. With memorable rhymes and cute illustrations, it’s sure to become a fast favorite in your house too! My son especially loves the cut-outs and reveals on each page.

You're My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshall
[Read more...] about Kids Edition: You're My Little Pumpkin Pie + Pumpkin Pie Crisp

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: baking, children's, dessert, easy prep, kids edition

Kids Edition: Dr. Seuss's ABC + Chocolate Doughnuts

September 19, 2020 by Megan 1 Comment

Welcome to another Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm. Today we will be talking about Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! And the recipe is brought to you by the letter D...d...D (more on that later).

Dr Seuss's ABC

In his ABC book, Dr. Seuss talks about each letter of the alphabet with fun rhymes and silly characters. At our house, we read the board book version. All of the content is there but the pages are condensed. We often get the rhymes stuck in our heads. 

[Read more...] about Kids Edition: Dr. Seuss's ABC + Chocolate Doughnuts

Filed Under: book review, post series, recipe Tagged With: baking, breakfast, children's, dessert, easy prep, kids edition

Kids Edition: Curious George Makes Pancakes

August 22, 2020 by Megan 7 Comments

Welcome to the first Kids Edition post on The Hungry Bookworm! Today we will be talking about a charming little monkey and his culinary adventures in Curious George Makes Pancakes. 

Curious George Makes Pancakes

George is a good little monkey. He is also very curious. This curiosity makes for a lot of antics that we love reading about with my son Henry. 

[Read more...] about Kids Edition: Curious George Makes Pancakes

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: breakfast, children's, easy prep, fruit, kids edition

A Wrinkle in Time + Hot Chocolate

September 16, 2017 by Megan 6 Comments

As you would probably expect, I read a lot when I was a kid. I remember reading my first chapter book (Black Beauty) in first grade, leading to a slight obsession with horses that continued into middle school. I have fond memories of my mom reading to my sister and me at night, with books like Stuart Little and The Borrowers that fueled my early interest in writing stories of my own. I also devoured The Baby-Sitters Club series and Nancy Drew novels, though honestly anything I could get my hands on was fair game. However, there were a few key books I’d missed (mostly because I watched the movies and/or didn’t realize they were based on books in the first place) such as The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Little Women, and The Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve rectified many of those misses in recent years, but A Wrinkle in Time was still outstanding.

For those of you who don’t know, there’s a movie adaptation coming out next year starring Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah, which is what really prompted me to pick it up at last. That and the fact that I found out the main character is named Meg. She and her three brothers live at home with their mother, who is a scientist. Their father, also a scientist, is no longer home and (depending on who Meg is talking to, or perhaps it was how I read it) it’s implied that he’s just gone on some sort of scientific mission and will be back eventually, or that he’s dead. Two of her brothers are twins and quite athletic, and Charles, her youngest brother, has a unique way of reading people. It is because of this skill that three mysterious beings named Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which come into their home and ultimately take Meg, Charles and their neighbor Calvin on an adventure that will change their lives forever.

Since it’s a children’s book, it didn’t take long to read - I think I read it in an afternoon. It was absolutely entertaining, but because it had quite a lot of science (real or otherwise) and had some really abstract concepts, I found myself wondering, “Is this something kids can really understand?” (If any of my readers who read this as a kid and as an adult can provide some perspective here, that would be helpful.)

I decided to make hot chocolate to go along with this book, because not only is it comforting, but it features prominently in the scene where Mrs. Whatsit first appears, on a dark and stormy night. It was actually quite dark and stormy the night I concocted the hot chocolate myself, so I think it worked out nicely. 🙂

I followed a recipe from Ashlee Marie for the World’s Best Hot Chocolate and thankfully it was very straightforward. (Nothing more frustrating than just wanting something quick and comforting and finding out you don't have the right ingredients or it's a hassle to make.)

First, I combined the cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Then, I added the water and brought the mixture to a boil. I allowed it to boil for 1 minute, before adding the milk. Then, I continued heating the hot chocolate until it was the temperature we like - not too hot, not too cold. Probably a few more minutes is ideal, at most.

I poured it into our mugs and topped them with whipped cream, which I always like to cool it down and break up the richness of the chocolate. We settled down in the living room while the storm boomed around us and enjoyed!

World’s Best Hot Chocolate

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Time: 10 minutes
  • Print

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Add the water and bring to a boil, keep boiling for one min.
  3. Then add the milk and heat until it's the temperature you like.
  4. Remove from heat. Add the vanilla, stir and serve. Top with marshmallows, whipped cream, or your preference. Enjoy!

From: Ashlee Marie

This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure here.

Filed Under: book review, recipe Tagged With: 5 ingredients or less, children's, drink, fiction

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The Hungry Bookworm brings together literature and food. Megan has an insatiable appetite for both.

As C.S. Lewis said, “Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.” Enjoy!

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