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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Steam Train, Dream Train By Sherri Duskey Rinker

17 May

In my excitement in posting about my interview with JJ from S.W. Lothian’s Quest Series and the fact that I DEMOLISHED my schools Accelerated Reader record… Did I mention I got 1503.9 A.R. points and the old record was 945?… I forgot to announce the winner of the copy of “Lotto’s Super-Awesome Unbelievable Park Adventure” by Jan Ellen Ferrigan that I am giving away to celebrate Children’s Book Week.

The winner (drawn out of a hat by Josie) is

Nena Challenner!!!

Congratulations Ms. Challenner! I will be emailing you to get your address to send the book to you! If you didn’t win, you can find out where to purchase the book on Ms. Ferrigan’s website HERE or find it on Amazon HERE.

Lotto's Super Awesome Unbelievable Park Adventure

On to Perfect Picture Book Friday!

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because this is a beautiful bedtime book and the illustrations are WUNDERBAR (my new word I learned from Julie Rowan Zoch) ;) !

steamtrainSteam Train, Dream Train

By Sherri Duskey Rinker

Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

4 – 6 years – 40 pages

Published by Chronicle Books on April 16, 2013

Theme/Topic – animals/trains/bedtime

Opening and Synopsis – 

“Through the darkness, clickety-clack…

Coming closer, down the track…

hold your breath so you can hear

huffing, chuffing drawing near.”

The dream train pulls into the station and the animal workers load the train with bouncy-balls, pogo-sticks, ice cream, hoola-hoops and other fun toys! Everything needed for sweet dreams!

Why I liked this book –

First of all, look at those GORGEOUS illustrations! They’re wonderful! LOOK! -

steamtrain2Can you NOT love that??? Other than that, the rhyme is magnificent! I love the onomatopoeia in it and it sounds like the chug chug of a train. I like that it teaches the purpose of each train car! (ex: “The autorack will gently keep these fast, fast cars”…) I think it is imaginative to see all the sweet dream things the animals load onto the train. It will definitely give kids things to have nice dreams about!

Activities and Resources -

You can color what you think the dream train is bringing you in your sleep. I found this train coloring page on the Krafty Kidz blog! Click HERE to get it!

traincolor

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Nora’s Ark by Eileen Spinelli

10 May

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I love Mrs. Spinelli’s books and the message is great!

norasarkNora’s Ark

By Eileen Spinelli

Illustrated by Nora Hilb

32 pages – 4+ years

Published by Zonderkidz on February 19, 2013

Theme/Topic – Religion / Imagination

Opening and Synopsis – 

“The Weatherman predicted rain.

So Nora built an ark.

Just like Noah.

Well… not just like Noah.”

Nora heard it was going to rain, so, she built an ark. She gathered animals 2 by 2. She uses her imagination and a broken chair, planks, and boxes, to make a great ark. Now all she has to do is wait for the rain!

Why I liked this book – Once again Mrs. Spinelli creates a masterpiece! Besides being a wonderful re-telling of Noah’s Ark, this book has a great message about using your imagination!  Nora uses what ever she can find to use her imagination to build an arc and save the world’s animals. The illustrations are soft and beautiful and go perfectly with the story. They show what Nora thinks is going on in her mind – what she is imagining, and then shows what really is going on. I love that Nora paints her toenails waiting for the rain and one of her crew mates (her little brother) has to leave to take a nap! I won’t give away the ending, but you will probably figure it out! ;)

Activities and Resources -

I found a great activity on PBS kids that I actually did in school. You build a boat out of tin foil and then put pennies on it until it sinks. Then you try to change the design of your boat and see how many pennies it can hold. It teaches you about how a boat floats! Click HERE to get the activity!

Foil boat activity

Foil boat activity (Photo credit: Micah Sittig)

Boatful of Pennies.

Boatful of Pennies. (Photo credit: San José Library)

I also found a boat building activity on Scholastic Book’s teacher’s site. It is meant for younger kids (PreK-K). Click HERE to go to it!

To learn more about Mrs. Spinelli, please visit her website HERE!

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

6 May

Happy MONDAY!!! Did anyone notice I’ve been kind of “gone?” Well my posts still posted but I wasn’t here. Last Tuesday my parents picked us up early from school. We had to drive my mom to the airport to catch a flight going to Chicago for a business trip. When we were half-way to the airport, my parents told us they lied… my mom’s work wasn’t sending her to Chicago, they were sending her somewhere else and we were all going to…

???????????????????????????????

DISNEY WORLD!!!

My parents had this planned for a while and they really got us! We had no idea. While mom went to work, my dad took us to the parks. Mom got to meet up with us for some fun too.

Josie was excited to meet Cinderella.

???????????????????????????????I was more impressed with Lady Tremaine (the Wicked Step-Mother). :)

???????????????????????????????Although, to me, the coolest thing was… THIS!

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It says: Here lies Prudence Pock. She died, it’s said, of Writer’s Block. – I found it in the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion (in the cemetery)

THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!

I also want to tell you about Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Jingle Contest” to celebrate the release of her book as an ebook. You can check out all the entries HERE. I will (hopefully) be posting mine tomorrow.

cantsleep

Sorry if I didn’t comment on some posts, but I’m trying to catch up :)

Now, back to your featured program:

whangadoodThe Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (25th Anniversary Edition)

By Julie Andrews Edwards

Published by HarperCollins Publishers on December 16, 1996

224 pages – ages 8+

Ben, Tom and Lindy didn’t know what to think of Professor Savant when they first met him. As they got to know him more and more, the kids find out he’s a really nice guy. The Professor teaches them about the Whangdoodle (a creature that is kind and beautiful) and how the Whangdoodle  really exists and he is searching for it. The Professor also teaches the kids about life and to really “see it” and “hear it” and “smell and taste it”. The Professor and the children find the secret way to Whangdoodle Land only to find trouble waiting for them. They all work together to find the last Whangdoodle.

THIS

BOOK

WAS

AWESOME!!!

Let me say it again… AWESOME! It was s story like the Chronicles of Narnia where I got very involved in it. The characters were very realistic and I liked every one of them. The plot of the book was fun and I  LOVE the life lessons the Professor gives the kids. The story kept me turning the pages – I read the book in one day. Whangdoodleland (the world of the Whangdoodle) was unique and I really enjoyed reading about how the kids and Professor got through their adventure. There are a couple different cover versions for this book, but I think this one is my favorite. I loved everything about this book. I got it as a gift and I am giving a BIG THANK YOU for it!!! :D

This is one of those books I wish my rating scale went higher for! Five out of five bookworms! fivebooks

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! The Deductive Detective By Brian Rock

3 May

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I love mysteries and this is a great book for younger kids to get into mysteries and learn how to subtract.

deductiveThe Deductive Detective

By Brian Rock

Illustrated by Sherry Rogers

32 pages – ages 4+

Published Sylvan Dell Publishing on March 5, 2013

Theme/Topic – Math/reasoning

Opening and Synopsis – 

“Duck, the deductive detective, was sitting at his desk when the phone rang with an urgent message: Someone stole one of the cakes from the cake contest!
Detective Duck is on the case!”

Detective Duck was called upon to “quack” the case of the stolen cake! There are 13 contestants, but Fox obviously didn’t steal her own cake, so that leaves 12 suspects! Duck uses deductive reasoning to eliminate the suspects one by one, until there is only one left…

Why I liked this book – I love mysteries. I like finding the clues myself. This is a great way to get young kids into mysteries. I also like that Duck uses math to find out how many suspects are left (ex: 12 suspects – 1 mouse = 11 suspects). The illustrations are very well done and “cartoon-y” and have some “hidden humor” in them, so older kids will like that. It’s nice to find a book that makes math and reasoning fun. The puns and cute jokes are also a favorite for me (like the mouse wouldn’t steal the cake because she only likes cheesecake ;) ). I think kids 4+ would love this book!

Activities and Resources -

I didn’t have to search too long for activities to go along with this book because there are two pages of suggested activities right in the book! There is a compare/contrast activity and a deductive reasoning activity. There are also more activity suggestions at the publisher’s website (click HERE).

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Clever little Hermes by Wes Sturdevant

26 Apr

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because I love the illustrations and I am a fan of mythology!

hermesClever Little Hermes

By Wes Sturdevant

Illustrated by Maza Vicanovic and Ozren Mizdalo

28 pages – ages 5+

Published by Story and Media, LLC on October 2, 2012

Theme/Topic – Mythology/ being responsible / math

Opening and Synopsis – Taken from the back cover -

“A fresh and fun retelling of the classic Greek myth about how a very young Hermes uses his wits (and some basic arithmetic) to pull a very clever prank on his older brother, Apollo.

Hermes soon realizes that pranks, no matter how clever, can have unexpected consequences, and he learns a lesson about taking responsibility for his behavior.”

Why I liked this book –First of all – I love this tale from mythology. It is one of my favorites, and I like that it has been re-told for a younger audience! I like that it teaches a bit of math (multiplication) using cows and the number of legs there are. The illustrations are beautiful and the characters are cute. The moral of the story, being responsible for your behavior, is very good and important for young people. :D

Activities and Resources -

I tried to find a cow parts multiplication activity sheet and couldn’t so I asked for the help of my little sister Josie and we came up with our own. Josie did the artwork and I made the questions.

img043

I really enjoy the red lipstick and pink earrings Josie added to the cow she drew. ;) You can download the activity sheet as a pdf HERE.

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Creative Kid Thursday! Meet Kid Author Emma Wosje!

25 Apr

Today’s Creative Kid has a ton of talent! Meet Emma Wosje, author and illustrator of the book “Red the Cardinal.”

Emma2Red the Cardinal

Red the Cardinal

By Emma Wosje

Published on Lulu.com by Emma Wosje on January 31, 2013

24 pages – ages 5+

Red the Cardinal has a great message that kids and adults will love (and the cover art is awesome)!

The mean Mr. Oris, a horned owl, keeps stealing Red the cardinal’s food. Red is upset, and takes his frustrations out by makes things hard for a couple of house finches nearby. Red learns that just because YOU are bullied, doesn’t mean that you can bully others!

Emma was nice enough to answer some questions about herself!

mr90043940713.jpg How old are you and in what grade?

-

Emma2

I am in 5th grade and I am 11 years old.

-

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mr90043940713.jpg HEY! Me too! Which do you like better, writing or illustrating?

Emma2

I love illustrating a little bit more than writing, because it has been easier for me to express myself and my feelings with visual art more than with writing. Writing is something that I am still learning to master and I am enjoying it very much! I have been doing visual artwork for quite awhile — in a pretty serious way, but I didn’t start to really get serious about writing until this year. For fun, my mom contacted a teacher to tutor me in writing and, I think, that has helped me to figure out how to express myself and my feelings in my writing.

red2 (2)

mr90043940713.jpg Well, you sure are good at both! What do you want to be when you grow up?

Emma2

I want to be an illustrator and an author of books about fun adventures and fantasy. If not an illustrator, I also love doing lots of different kinds of art. My favorites are sketching and 3 dimensional art. For 3-D art I especially like reusing recyclable items and using fabrics or clay to make my final pieces.

red2 (1)

mr90043940713.jpgBesides writing and drawing what else do you like to do?

Emma2

I love to read and go outside with my friends, family, and my dog, Duke. I also like to play many sports including lacrosse, field hockey, and running. I am hoping to be able to play lacrosse or field hockey when I grow up too.

mr90043940713.jpgHow did you get the idea for your book and to self-publish it?

Emma2

I was given this project in school to write and illustrate a book that had a moral as part of the story. The idea of bullying as the moral immediately came to me. After I wrote the book, my mom helped me create the published version of it. When it arrived in the mail in its published format, I decided it could be much more than just a school project. My mom and I decided we wanted to raise money for one of our favorite charities, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, and so I have been selling it and giving 50 percent of the proceeds to Lost Dog. That has been my favorite part — helping the dogs and cats find homes.

mr90043940713.jpg

I think it is totally AWESOME that you donate part of your profits to such a good cause! Thanks Emma!

Here is some more fabulous artwork by Emma.

red3 (2)

red4 (1)

Find Emma’s book on Lulu.com by clicking HERE. Find it on iTunes HERE. Follow Emma on twitter @RedtheCardinal !

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Happy Earth Day! Zombie-Kids Go Green by Julia Dweck

22 Apr

Happy Earth Day!!!

Today after school, my family and I are going to go for a walk on our road and clean up all the litter along the sides. How are you spending Earth Day?

I know every time I think of Earth Day, I think of ZOMBIES! Okay, not really, but it seems that zombies, vampires and other monsters are very popular lately and Julia Dweck wrote a very clever book that combines zombies and caring for the Earth that is sure to get kid’s interest!

zombiekidsZombie-Kids Go Green (KiteReaders Monster Series)

By Julia Dweck

Illustrated by Mark Draisey

20 pages – ages 6+

Published by KiteReaders on February 21, 2013

Have you ever wondered what Zombies did at night? (Just F.Y.I. – I don’t. I don’t think about Zombies and what they do. Especially at night.) Would you think of them sneaking into your house to shut off a dripping faucet? Or battling Energy Vampires in your home? Planting trees? Picking up trash? Apparently Zombies are very Eco-friendly  because they do all this – and more!

I am not a fan of Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. I actually stay away from books and movies with monsters in them (unless it’s like Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy). I also do know a lot of kid/adults are really into monsters and when I heard about Ms. Dweck’s book I was wondering how you combine Zombies and a green message so I thought I’d give it a try. After reading the book, I think kids will really love this book and adults will love the message! Why?  Because the whole idea of Zombies caring for the Earth is hilarious! I also love the illustrations.  They really add to the story. I like that the author mixes a popular culture thing (Zombies) with a message about caring for the Earth! I think kids 6+ would really love this book!

Five out of five bookworms for the Eco-friendly Zombie message in Zombie-Kids Go Green! fivebooks

As a bonus, you can get the ebook version FREE today! Click HERE!

Check out the trailer.


To learn more about Ms. Dweck and the great books she writes, visit her website HERE and her facebook page HERE.ZKG Image

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Perfect Picture Book Friday! Emeraldalicious By Victoria Kann

19 Apr

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because Earth Day is on Monday, and this is a great book to teach a greenerific lesson with!

emeradiciousEmeraldalicious

By Victoria Kann

40 pages – ages 4 – 8

Published by HarperCollins on January 29, 2013

Theme/Topic – Environment/ Recycling

Opening and Synopsis – Taken from the inside jacket -

“When Pinkalicious and Peter decide to visit their favorite park, they find that it’s no longer their favorite place – the park is now filled with stinky trash! So Pinkalicious decides to make an extra-special wand out of flowers. Now whenever Pinkalicious makes a wish, adds a little love and recites a pinkatastic rhyme, something amazing happens: It’s pinkerrific magic!”

Why I liked this book –  This is an awesome book for Earth Day! It gives the message; care for your environment and recycle! The illustrations are fabulous as with all of Ms. Kann’s books. I really like Pinkalicious’ cape, wand, and tiara that were made from flowers and plants. I really like how the story shows that you can re-use some of the “junk” lying around and make it into something great. I think everyone should do more of that. I think kids (girls AND boys – remember, Peter is there too!) 4+ would really like this book!

Activities and Resources -

Go out to your favorite park, and clean up any trash you see, so that park doesn’t become as bad as the park in the one in the book!

Cub Pack 16, From the Harvey Scott Grade Schoo...

Cub Pack 16, From the Harvey Scott Grade School in Portland Cleaning Up Beach Litter at Sauvie Island on the Columbia River 04/1973 (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)

Re-use, Reduce, and Recycle! Talk about the 3 R’s with your child. Maybe do some of them too?

Crystal earth recycle icon

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To find more Perfect Picture Books please visit Susanna Hill’s blog  HERE!

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Chase Tinker & The House of Magic By Malia Ann Haberman

17 Apr

chasetinkerChase Tinker & The House of Magic – The Chase Tinker Series Book 1

By Malia Ann Haberman

261 pages – ages 8+

Published by Crossroad Press; Crossroad Press Digital Edition edition  on August 13, 2012 (ebook reviewed)

Things have been pretty crazy since Chase’s dad went missing a year ago. To make things worse, Chase Tinker doesn’t know why he and his brother have strange powers. Chase can move objects with his mind, and Andy can make objects stop moving or make them freeze in time. When their supposedly dead grandfather suddenly appears, the boys are a bit confused (as you can imagine). Their grandfather asks the boys to spend the summer with him so that they can learn to control their powers. Chase learns that the members of the Tinker family have magic powers given to them by a special Relic that is in the attic of his grandfather’s house. Things go from strange to worse because Chase also learns there is someone/thing out to steal the relic and the Tinker magic!

This was an awesome story! The action was exciting. The story idea is fun. I really liked the description of the Tinker house (the house the boys go to stay with their grandfather in). Ms. Haberman’s writing style is great for middle-grade and young advanced readers. I thought Chase was a great main character, and I enjoyed reading about him. The story was a quick read for me and I liked it so much, I would have liked the story to be a bit longer. I would have loved to know more about the Tinker house and the Marlowe family (the bad guys). This is only because I liked it so much, not because the story wasn’t told all the way. There was one instance of “What the h***”?” which in a book meant for young kids, it shouldn’t be there.

I went back and forth between four and five bookworms on this one (I don’t do halves – that would just be mean to cut a worm in half – which is just mean and you also cut the book in half :( ).  For my reading level, I want more in the story but I think it’s a five bookworm book for the age it is written for. So five it is! fivebooks

To learn more about Ms. Haberman, please visit her website by clicking HERE.

Ms. Haberman is also hosting a Chase Tinker give-away on GoodReads (click HERE) until April 18!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15838908-chase-tinker-and-the-house-of-magic#other_reviews

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It’s Weird to Grow a Beard! By Neal Fox

15 Apr

Happy Monday!

On Saturday our family went to the races. This is what I did -

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BUT – THIS is what my little sister Josie did -

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Yup, that’s right! Josie is officially a racer. It was her fist race. I think that’s pretty cool! She wrote a post about it on her blog (click HERE) please check it out. I am very proud of her!

Now on to the review for today!

April is national poetry month and I have a great poetry book kids will love to tell you about!
nationalpoetrymonth
weirdtogrowIt’s Weird to Grow a Beard!

By Neal Fox

60 pages – ages 4+

Published by CreateSpace on January 21, 2013 (ebook reviewed)

“It’s Weird to Grow a Beard” is full of a variety of funny poems about all kinds of things! From growing a weird beard, to a sandwich miles high, to a cat who swallowed a frog, this book has one silly poem after the next!

I enjoyed the poems in this book. The poems were very funny and unique!  The book had a lot of illustrations too. The illustrations were also funny and went really well with the poems! I think any kid would enjoy the poems in the book. There’s one word in the book that parents may object too (it starts with c and rhymes with happy), but I also know that some families/cultures don’t think that word is impolite. The poems are fun, and the rhymes flow well and I LOVE the silliness! I think silly poems are a great way of getting kids into reading poetry and the poems in this book are right for that!

I give this book 5 out of 5 book worms.fivebooks

To learn more about Mr. Fox, please visit his website by clicking HERE.

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