Cosmic

 
Cosmic is the latest work from the Carnegie Medal-winning author of Millions, which was made into a movie by Danny Boyle. This comedic piece by Frank Cottrell Boyce becomes available on January 19, 2010.

Cosmic [Walden Pond Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-06-183686-2] is the laugh-out-loud story of Liam, a twelve year-old boy who has grown too quickly. He stands taller than most adults, and even has to shave. Quite frequently, people mistake him for a thirty year-old man. And that means they expect adult-like behavior out of him. He likes to take advantage of this, buy posing as a purchaser of a Porsche, or even a schoolteacher.

Liam's greatest adventure posing as an adult comes along when he wins a contest that allows a Dad and child to come test a new program that is sending kids out into space for the first time. He adopts his classmate, Florida, as his daughter, and the two set off on a comical adventure in space. (Think Apollo 13.) Liam learns a lot about what it means to be a responsible adult, as well as gathering a lot of insight into what it really means to be a kid.

Fellow adventurists in the story include examples of father-son relationships. There is the dominating father who pushes his son too far. Then there is the father who will buy his son everything, because for him, money talks. Each one thinks that his child is the smartest, cleverest, and the best. The flaws of each are quickly demonstrated.

This book is aimed for children ages 8-12, in grades 3-7, but will entertain even older readers. It makes for a great read-aloud and can easily segue into research into space travel and the universe. Moms and dads may also find themselves questioning their roles as parents, and seek to find an understanding in their relationship with their kids.

Purchase Cosmic

Sexuality and Teens

 
Sexuality and Teens: What You Should Know About Sex, Abstinence, Birth Control, Pregnancy, and STDs by Stephen Feinstein is an educational book geared toward teenagers, published by Enslow Publishers. It starts out by covering how views about sex and sexuality have changed over time, particularly in the last 5 decades. Teens used to not engage in sexual activity, and if they did, it was looked down upon. Times started to change during the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now sex is everywhere. It is glorified on TV, in movies, advertising, and more. Many myths about sex are developed, and teens are not always educated in their rights and responsibilities.

Sexuality and Teens also covers the topic of birth control, emphasizing that both parties are responsible. Various forms of contraception are discussed, including both female and male condoms, birth control pills, IUDs, and more. A description of each method is given, along with statistics about its use and reliability, plus how to obtain it. Emphasis on proper use is given.


The chapter on teen pregnancy begins with a story about a pregnant teenager in 1970, then discusses the options for a pregnant teen today. It provides a list of questions every girl should ask herself, before she becomes sexually active, to make an informed decision in the event she becomes pregnant. Topics include the abortion debate, as well as closed vs. open adoptions and keeping the baby. Common myths are addressed and dispelled.

STDs are rampant amongst teenagers today. This chapter talks about the dangers of STDs, while detailing the symptoms, permanency, and treatment of the most common. It also discusses methods of preventing the spread. It tries to demonstrate the harsh reality of having an STD, while aspiring to clarify rumors, and providing statistics.

A final chapter tackles the debate of sex education for teenagers. Some believe only abstinence should be taught, whereas others wish to tackle the topic in full. This book serves the latter purpose.

The end of the book includes a glossary of terms and organizations that teens can contact for more information.

The book reads like a textbook that is geared toward children about 13 or 14 and older, which is probably its goal. It very carefully travels that thin line between opposing sides of belief about teens and sexuality, by presenting both sides of an argument. It provides a great deal of information in the form of statistics and research studies. Photographs also serve to bring some reality to the topic. It also seems to be fairly complete in topics covered, though more on the reality of raising a baby as a teenager could be beneficial.

Purchase  Sexuality and Teens: What You Should Know About Sex, Abstinence, Birth Control, Pregnancy and STDs (Issues in Focus Today)

A review copy of this book was provided by Enslow Publishers.

Messy Tessy

Messy Tessy is a young girl who manages to get herself into a lot of trouble when her Aunt Fran comes over to babysit. Aunt Fran falls asleep, and Messy Tessy manages to live up to her name by making a huge mess out of the whole house. She leaves her dolls and toys all over the floor. Painting goes from easel to the wall. Peas end up in her hair. Messy Tessy, the dolls, and an unsuspecting Aunt Fran all get makeovers.

Aunt Fran wakes up in a panic, and she and Messy Tessy race around the house getting it all spic and span before Mom gets back home. They leave it in better condition than when Mom left, except for Aunt Fran's red streaks in her hair, highly impressing Mom.

The book is very cute, and my class of 3-6 year-olds absolutely loved it! Most impressed was a young girl who actually has an Aunt Fran.

Children delight in witnessing the naughtiness of other children, almost as if they are living vicariously through them. A few may try to mimic, but usually children develop these ideas on their own, so I wouldn't worry about it influencing them. A great lesson is included, as Messy Tessy and Aunt Fran have to clean up the mess. Messy Tessy is in charge of most of it!

For those who really feel the need, it can provide a springboard for appropriate behavior.

Also appealing about this book is that the author, Leah Orr, dedicates her books and the proceeds to assisting research for Cystic Fibrosis. Her daughter, Ashley Elizabeth, has CF, and they are very active with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Purchase Messy Tessy


I requested and received a review copy of this book from the author.

On the Level

 

On the Level is one of the books by David Michael Slater that features favorite tool characters, such as Nevil Level, Mini Screwdriver, Don Hoe, Henry Sprinkler, and more.

In this book, Nevil Level is preparing for a soapbox race, keeping his car "straight and true." The tools have never won a race before, and Nevil's poor performance makes it seem that they never will. The other tools are mean and stomp off in a huff, complaining about Nevil. Only Mini Screwdriver has faith in Nevil's level abilities.

Mini gives Nevil the gift of a black box, in which she says there is a powerful magnet that will draw him to the finish line where the other tools will be waiting.

Throughout the race, any time that Nevil thinks he is failing, he thinks of that powerful magnet in the black box in his car and is able to keep on moving forward. When he wins by a landslide, the Hammer Slammer and the Driller Thriller accuse him of cheating.

In the next race, Nevil again focuses on his powerful magnet drawing him to the finish line as he races the Flame Thrower. Again, he is accused of not being on the level with his racing ability. He decides to confess, and pulls out the black box, only to find that it looks empty. He realizes that he won because he was being carried by the faith of a friend. And he inspires the other tools to carry their "empty extra parts" filled with faith to lead them through their races.

It's an inspirational story that reminds children that if they believe in themselves, they can accomplish anything. It also tells them to show their faith in their friends to help their friends accomplish their goals, as well.

Characters in the book, though they are tools, can appeal to girls as well as boys. The puns on their names make for great groaners that can keep parents and teachers entertained as they read the book out loud. The idioms contained within are defined at the end of the book and lead to great lessons on the English language.
Illustrations by Andres Martinez Ricci will also appeal to children, as their style mimics kids' favorite cartoons on Cartoon Network, brightly colored and cartoony expressions.

Purchase On the Level (David Michael Slater Set 2)

I received a PDF proof copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Andrea Coventry is a reviewer for BookPleasures.com.

The Bored Book

 
The Bored Book by David Michael Slater is a wordless wonder that children of all ages can understand and enjoy.  The book is purely illustrations that tell the story of two young children who are sitting in the grand library of their grandfather's home. Bored out of their minds, they start beating each other with sofa cushions and fighting. Their grandfather leads them to the dusty attic, that almost resembles an abandoned bookstore, where numerous books are stored.

The children come across a stack of books called The Bored Book and pull a dusty copy off the shelf. As soon as they open it up, a bright world of color emerges, with maps and pictures, that literally sucks them within.

The children experience a new world of exciting creatures and people, including an Abominable snowman, pirates, sharks, dragons, and more. The illustrations take the reader on the journey with them. The lack of words allow the reader to create his own version of the story - whether it is a short one or a long one.

At the end of the adventure, the children reemerge and begin at Grandpa's house and begin to explore the treasure trove of literature found on his shelves. And all was quiet again....

The book is like The Wizard of Oz or Pleasantville in that it opens with the world in black and white as long as the children are bored. When they discover the magical world found within books, suddenly the illustrations become colorful. The color stays with them, as does the magic of the books.

The Bored Book is appealing because it promotes literacy and quality literature as being a great escape. The advantage of being wordless is that children can enjoy it at any age or reading level. The illustrations by Doug Keith are highly detailed and tell their own story. It allows for open-ended interpretations of the story and allows children to write their own versions as often as they want.

Parents can enjoy some one-on-one conversation time with their children, as they talk about what is happening within the book. It can be a great segue into determining what other books the child may wish to read.

The Bored Book would be a welcome addition to any home or school library.

Purchase The Bored Book

Andrea Coventry received a PDF copy of this book for review purposes.

Andrea Coventry is a reviewer for BookPleasures.com.

The Night I Met Santa

The Night I Met Santa by Lora Johnson is the perfect blend of the two kinds of Christmas.  When I think of Christmas, I think of the "church Christmas" with Baby Jesus and what we call the "true meaning of Christmas".  Then there is also the "Santa Claus Christmas".  Some families are able to blend the two traditions to an extent, but rarely are they truly connected.  This book does it in 32 pages.

It's just before Christmas, and Jeremy has been naughty.  Because Santa Claus only gives presents to those children who are nice, he assumes that he isn't going to get any presents this year.  Also, Mommy has taken down his stocking and told him as much.

But when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he sneaks down to find Santa putting out the presents, and a new stocking where his old one used to be.  Santa is still giving him presents!  Feeling relieved, he turns to go back upstairs, but Santa calls him back.

Santa tells him that Mom was right, and Jeremy really doesn't deserve the presents.  But Jeremy will receive them anyway. When Jeremy asks why, Santa tells him a story of when he was a young man.  He had met the famous man named Jesus, long before he had become Santa Claus.  Santa was feeling particularly burdened, and Jesus asked to take the burdens from him.  He told Jesus everything that he had done wrong and Jesus forgave him.  Soon after, Jesus died on the cross to save everyone's sins, including Jeremy's.

Santa held on to the lessons learned from Jesus, and decided to give children gifts, even when they are naughty, to teach them that they are forgiven.  This also reminds them that Christmas is to celebrate the birth of the man who came to save all of our sins.

Hearing a story like this one makes me feel better about children who receive gifts from Santa, despite having been naughty at this time of year.  Too often I hear parents threaten to have Santa not bring presents, only to give in and get the children everything that they want.  The lack of follow-through doesn't teach children anything, so the whole idea is wasted.  Hearing that receiving the presents is a form of forgiveness may inspire children to behave a little bit more.

In addition to this great story is a poem about Santa praying before going out on his Christmas Eve rounds.  The whole book is filled with gorgeous, vibrant paintings by Christine Ann Edwards.

This is the kind of Christmas book that deserves to become a Christmas classic and be read by all families who celebrate the holiday.  It embraces both kinds of traditions, while simultaneously reminding us the true meaning of the Christmas spirit and the holiday.

I received a review copy of this book from the author.

Bubble Riding: A Relaxation Story

Bubble Riding: A Relaxation Story is a part of the Stress Free Kids series by Lori Lite. `This is a series dedicated to teaching stress management techniques to children. And parents can also learn a lot from them.

In this book, the child is asked to imagine being either the sea child or the turtle who are the main characters.

The sea child finds her way to a water spout on the bottom of the ocean floor that provides lots of bubbles. When a big enough one appear, the sea child embraces it, and slowly makes her way inside it. It provides her with a warm sense of security. An observing sea turtle quickly follows suit.

As the bubble rises through the ocean waters, the sea child notices a beautiful rainbow above her. She closes her eyes to reflect on the power of each individual color.

The color red provides the sea child with a sense of health and energy. Orange gives her happiness. Yellow allows her to feel an inner glow, as the green color fills her with love. Blue provides relaxation, while purple allows for peace and clarity. As these senses of strength and peace come together through the rainbow, they blend together to create a pure white light that provides balance and calm.

Visualizing color has long been a practice that provides empowerment and peace to those who do it. This book is the first one for children that I have come across that seems to explain it in a way that young children can understand. It can easily be used in the classroom, as well as within the family home, to encourage stress management and to build unity.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

Purchase Bubble Riding: A Relaxation Story, Designed to Help Children Increase Creativity While Lowering Stress and Anxiety Levels. (Indigo Ocean Dreams)