Listen to and read-along with this fun story by, Jennifer Coleman

CLAP CLAP BOOM!

Max frowned.

Thunder outside meant no strawberry hunting this morning with Grandma!

Max made a pickle puss face.

Then Max heard Grandma’s familiar “Land’s sakes!” as she came over to baby-sit.

Poor Grandma was soaked! Her soft gray hair, usually piled high on her head like fluffy cotton candy, was flat and drippy like a wet sock.

“Morning, Max! While I dry off, how about you start our Flubberhunt?”

Max was curious. What was Grandma up to?

He looked at the clue card she had handed him. The card was star-shaped and showed a picture of dirty clothes.

Was the card leading him to his room? No, he was just in there…must be the laundry room!

Max dashed to the room with the washer and dryer.  His eyes lit up when he found a box with a star-shaped card on it!

“What’s this, Grandma?”

“That’s Borax – a kind of cleaner. Great! Now how about the second clue?”

Searching for clues almost made Max forget about the rainstorm. Where was he supposed to go next?

Max looked at the second card. The clue showed a picture of crayons. A smile spread on Max’s face. Everyone knew Max loved art!

Max scooted around the corner, jumped over the dog dish, and ran straight to his art supply box in the living room.

“I’ve got it!” he yelled as he held up a new bottle of glue with a star.

“Terrific!” Grandma smiled, handing him the last card.

Max saw a faucet with drops coming out of it. He scrunched up his eyebrows. Water?

There was water in all of the sinks in the house, the bathtubs, and even outside with the pouring rain. Where should he look first?

Max made a plan. Start at the bottom of the house and work up. He picked the closest room to the living room to start – the kitchen!

Throwing open the swinging door, Max grinned when he saw a third star stuck to the side of a pitcher of water!

“Great searching, Max! Now we’re ready to turn our Flubberhunt into our Flubber FUN!”

Grandma led Max to the table. Together they lined up the Borax, the glue, and the water.  Pulling out a last card, Grandma showed Max a recipe for Flubber!

Max helped Grandma pour, measure and stir. He even got to put in a few drops of food coloring. Then he reached into the gooey mess and mixed it all together. It felt slippery and bouncy between his fingers. Max thought Flubber-making with Grandma was just as wonderful as picking berries.

Then Max had an idea,

“Grandma, since we couldn’t eat fresh berries, I know what we CAN eat today instead…”

“What did you have in mind, Max?

”How about peanut-flubber and jelly sandwiches?!”

Grandma laughed!

“Well, Flubber is for playing, not for eating, but we could pretend. How about a cool, thick Flubbershake to wash down your sandwich?”

Max played right along, “Yes! Make mine strawberry!”

THE END

DIY Flubber Recipe – Let’s Get Gooey!

What You Need

• Warm water
• 1 cup Elmer’s Glue
• 2 tsp. Borax
• Food coloring, if desired
• 2 bowls

Directions

Step #1 – Measure out 3/4 cup of warm water and 1 cup of glue.

Step #2 – Pour the water and glue into a bowl. Add food coloring.

Step #3 – Mix well

Step #4 – In the second bowl mix 2 tsp. of Borax with ½ cup warm water.

Step #5 – Pour the mixture from one bowl into the other.

It’s about to get gooey!

Step #6 – Reach in with your hands and work the Flubber for a few minutes until the blob is mixed together well.

For some extra creativeness, add a tablespoon of glitter to your mix!

Your “Flubber” is now ready for some fun!

What did you think of Flubberhunt? Tell us your thoughts (and if you made this cool creation) in the comments section!

About the Author

Author and elementary-school librarian Jennifer Coleman was born in Scotland before she and her family moved to Texas. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She also shares a love of ballet with her daughter, who suggested the Texas-style Nutcracker story.

Jennifer’s first picture book for children, The Texas Nutcracker, was released in Fall of 2018 with Pelican Publishing. She has also had several articles published with Library Media Connection, and a professional book for educators published by Linworth Publishing.

Thanks, Jennifer, for introducing us to Flubberhunt!