Disclosure: This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, Kellogg’s and The J.M. Smucker Company but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SamsClubBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBstV
Get kids of all ages excited about reading with a Bookworm Reading Party! Check out all the details, including Bookworm Cupcakes, bookmarks, children’s book suggestions and more!
I mentioned a few days ago that that as a kids, my siblings and I loved summer because we got ample time to read (something we all love) and we got to participate in the summer youth reading program. Getting to eagerly turn in our reading logs for the most coveted prize- a ticket to the local amusement park, then planing the most perfect day to the park- was always a summer highlight.
Even when we weren’t meticulously tracking the minutes we spent reading or the books we read, reading was one of our favorite past times. Saturdays spent with Dad meant donuts for breakfast and then heading to the local bookstore, where we would happily spend hours flipping through books.
Because of this love of reading and appreciation for books was instilled in me at a young age, it is still something I am passionate about! Not only do I love to sit and curl up with a good book on a lazy Sunday, I love sharing my love of reading with the next generation.
My heart swells when my nephews ask me to read them a book and I love incorporating fun children’s books (mostly about food) into the kids cooking classes I teach. Seeing kids get happy and excited about reading and these books, especially in this day and age where we are all consumed by technology, well, that is a beautiful sight! 
Since I am so passionate about children’s literacy, I was extremely excited to learn about the Scholastic “Start School Like a Champion” book offer. With a new school year starting soon, I headed to Sam’s Club to get a jump start on back to school shopping. Not only is Sam’s Club a one stop shop for back to school supplies, for a limited time (now thru 9/30/16) when you purchase any participating Kellogg’s® or J.M. Smucker products at Sam’s Club®, you can earn two free Scholastic books (one for you and one for a local school) when you report your Sam’s Club receipt online (while supplies last). Not only is this AWESOME for the young book lovers in your life (there are over 80 full-length Scholastic titles to choose from for beginning readers to teens!!), it is AMAZING that local schools get to add books to their classrooms too! Which, sadly, is often cut from budgets. 
Since I love to share my love of reading with my nephews and students, I thought it would be fun to throw a Bookworm Reading Party and really make a celebration of youth reading. For our Bookworm Reading Party, I made Peanut Butter Banana Bookworm Cupcakes (using Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, one of the products that helps you earn free books), simple bookworm bookmarks, and “book” juice boxes (juice boxes wrapped in construction paper and decorated to look like books). Check out all the recipes and tutorials below!
Here are a few youth reading program book suggestions (all available for free with the Scholastic “Start School Like a Champion” book offer):
The Peppa Pig Series
The Clifford the Big Red Dog Series
The Magic School Bus Series
A Bad Case of Stripes
The Rainbow Magic Series
Bookworm Bookmark:
Supplies:
Assorted colored paper
Circle cutter or hole punch
Glue stick
Scissors
Googly eyes
Directions:
1. Cut 2 ½ – 3-inch round circles out of assorted colored paper.
2. Place a small amount of glue on the back of one edge of a circle and adhere to the top of another circle to form worm.
3. Cut small rectangles out of paper and glue to front of the worm to form antennas.
4. Glue on googly eyes and get reading!
- Banana Cupcakes:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional
- -
- Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 2 ½- 3 cups powdered sugar
- -
- Bookworm Decorations:
- Colored sprinkles
- Gummy worms
- Bite sized chocolate candy bars cut in half
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter. Add both sugars and continue beating until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and bananas and mix well. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, stir together 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to banana mixture. Beating just until blended.
- In the bowl, toss together chocolate chips with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Stir chocolate chips into batter.
- Divide batter evenly among 20 paper lined muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Let cupcakes cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cupcakes are completely cool, using a large round tip, pipe peanut butter frosting on top of cupcakes. Place colored sprinkles in a small bowl. Carefully roll edges of frosted cupcakes in sprinkles. Top cupcakes with two pieces of chocolate candy bars (to form book) and one gummy worm.
- For Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting:
- In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time alternating with one tablespoon milk, mixing until desired consistency is reached.
Cupcake and frosting recipe a Kitchen Concoctions original
Bookworm cupcake topper inspired by this post on Pinterest
What are your favorite children’s books? Please share in the comments below!
Start school like a champion! Get two free Scholastic books– one for yourself and one to donate to a local school – when you buy any participating Kellogg’s® or J.M. Smucker products at Sam’s Club®! Redeem your free books in 3 easy steps: 1. Buy any participating Kellogg’s or The J.M. Smucker Company product by 9/30/2016 2. Upload your receipt at FreeBookOffer.com/Sams within 30 days of purchase. 3. Redeem for your free Scholastic book and one book will be donated to a local classroom as well!
Super cute party theme! Those cupcakes look and sound delish. I’ve always loved Eric Carle’s colorful books, Robert Munsch’s funny books, and the Boxcar Children series. During my nannying days I discovered the Pidgeon series – one is “Don’t Let the Pidgeon Drive the Bus” – and thought they were so funny.