Saturday, April 27, 2013

'Little Minds: Silly Children's Poems' by Star Brown


Book blurb:

Five silly poems that make kids wonder: When will pigs fly? Why won't the last piece of the puzzle fit? Why is an orange an orange? Does anyone have a loose tooth? Who is that other boy?

~~Buy it on Amazon~~

Author information:

Star is a mother of two and a wife of one very awesome man! She was born in 1980 on the tropical island of Okinawa Japan. Ever since the age of six, Star loved writing stories. While Star loves writing material that makes children laugh, she is currently working on her first young adult horror story. Star lives in Florida and would like to hear comments and new story ideas from her fans.

Star Brown
PO Box 950845
Lake Mary, FL 32795

Friday, April 19, 2013

'Titanic A to Z, The Story of the World's Most Famous Shipwreck' by Judy Nichols

This is a paid promotional post through my Featured Fiverrs. All opinions are my own, though.

This week marks 101 years since the famous sinking of the Titanic. Commemorate this historical event by downloading a book that teaches you all about it.

 
Book blurb:

Titanic A to Z, the Story of the World's Most Famous Shipwreck, is a children's picture book that takes young readers, ages 5-9, through the alphabet to learn about the sinking of the Titanic. Authentic photos from 1912 make the true facts come alive as young readers learn about the Titanic without dwelling on the gloomy aspects.

Details seldom found in other Titanic books will answer such questions as: Did kids help build the Titanic? What did kids do for fun when on board the ship the first four days? Who brought their pets along? Why did the kids like the Titanic barbershop? Who saw the iceberg first? How did the Captain of the rescue ship find out the Titanic was sinking? What scared the survivors as they waited for the rescue ship to take them on board? How were the kids who survived carried on board the rescue ship?

The introduction tells the story of the Titanic, followed by interesting details added in an alphabetic sequence. Suitable to read aloud to younger children while boys and girls who read at 2nd or 3rd grade reading level can enjoy reading it to themselves.


Biography 

Judy Nichols loves to write for children and teenagers and has a special interest in historical subjects like the Titanic. Her writing reflects the years she spent as a librarian, reading specialist, and classroom teacher in K-12 schools. She is also the author of "Titanic Dog to the Rescue" on iPhone and iPad; "Barnyard Santa" on Android and iPhone; and "Teaching in Tough Times", published by Baker Book House. Her poems for children have appeared in Fun for Kidz, Pockets, and Hopscotch magazines. She has published many articles in magazines and newspapers featuring historical subjects and creative teaching projects and continues to write more books that help kids enjoy reading and learning.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Check out 'Oliver and Jumpy: Bedtime Stories' on YouTube

This is a paid post, via my Featured Fiverrs. Click on the page above to find more about these kinds of posts.
Children like to watch animated versions of their favorite stories, just as much as they like to read them in books. Werner Stejskal has created a series of stories about Oliver and Jumpy, a cat and a kangaroo, who are friends who have all kinds of adventures.

Eventually there will be at least 40 stories available to viewers on YouTube. Right now, four are available to watch on YouTube. Werner is looking to eventually convert the stories into books and hopes to create an app.

Werner narrates each story himself. You can also read along below each YouTube video if you watch directly on the site. Check out the first story:



Here is a message from Werner Stejskal:

 There are lots of fairy tales and bedtime stories around and many of them quite violent. This made me decide to try writing something different. On a flight from Europe to Australia I watched the movie Magic on Belle Island with Morgan Freeman, where he teaches a little girl to have imagination and write her first story. This inspired me as well and in the following sleepless nights because of the West to East flight, which somehow always seems to have this effect on us, the first stories with my two characters Oliver the cat and Jumpy the kangaroo made their appearance. I have written over 40 stories by now. There is no violence worth talking about but enough adventure to keep them interesting. These are 1000 word short stories and would suit pre-schoolers to primary school. I had incredible luck to find a great young artist who is illustrating my stories successively. There are three stories available on Youtube now and the fourth will come on presently. Depending on the illustrator, I will publish further stories in intervals of about three weeks. I hope very much that many children will find access to my videos. Please enjoy and let others know about my videos. God bless! Regards Werner 

Visit the website here  

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

#AtoZChallenge 1959 & 1980 Caledcott Winner Barbara Cooney

Illustrator Barbara Cooney won the Caldecott Medal in 1959 for her book 'Chanticleer and the Fox,' an adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Nun Priest's Tale.' 

It is the story of a fox who dupes the king of the barnyard, and threatens the barnyard kingdom. The book also won the Kerlan award in 1992, and is included in the ALA's list of Notable Books of its time. The illustrations are quite reminiscent of their time. Hand drawn pictures such as these always leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.


In 1980, Barbara Cooney again won the Caldecott Medal. This time it was for 'Ox-Cart Man' by Donald Hall. This book was based on a poem he had written about a farming family who use an ox-cart to travel to market to sell their goods. He specifically chose her to illustrate his book.


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

#AtoZChallenge 1991 Caldecott Winner 'Black & White' by David Macauley

In 1991, David Macauley won the Caldecott Award for his book Black and White. It's like four simultaneous stories all rolled into one. However, that isn't readily apparent the first time you look through it. The book challenges you to look at it again and again, to see how stories can depend on both the illustrations and the written word. I have a feeling its value is lost if viewing on a Kindle, though.



David Macauley also won the Caldecott Honor in 1974 for his book Cathedral and in 1978 for Castle. Both of these books have amazingly detailed illustrations of each structure, along with the history and construction of each. 


Monday, April 1, 2013

#AtoZChallenge 1977 Caldecott Winner: 'Ashanti to Zulu: African Tradtitions'

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove won the Caldecott Medal in 1977 for the illustrations done by Leo and Diane Dillon. The stunningly detailed illustrations beautifully capture the information provided by Musgrove. Her meticulous research is evident, as she has managed to profile 26 different African tribes, from A to Z.

People have all kinds of preconceived notions about Africa, and don't take into account that more than one culture exists there. It's a rich continent that is full of life and tradition. This book is a great way to explore it and really speaks to children and adults. They are easily captivated by its illustrations and want to read more of it. 

This is a book I have had in my personal collection for years and believe belongs on all children's bookshelves.

Buy links: Amazon \ Barnes & Noble