Dear Michael Berenstain...

Dear Michael Berenstain,

We read the Dinosaur Days book that you illustrated for your parents in my class today. The kids loved it and wanted to send you a letter. So, here are some things that they had to say...

~~"I loved the book so much. I used to not like dinosaurs, but now I do like dinosaurs. This is the best book ever. I have that book, but never read it before. I know it is great now." ~~J., boy, age 5 1/2

~~"Thank you for the book." ~~B., girl, age 5

~~"The book was great. I also liked it because I got to learn some different names of dinosaurs."~~N., boy, age 6

~~"I want to send you some rainforest and Africa books that I made." ~~M., boy, age 5

~~"I like the dinosaur book you made." ~~Q., boy, age 4

~~"I liked the T. Rex." ~~M., boy, age 4

~~"I like dolphins and T. Rexes." ~~K., girl, age 3

~~"I like dinosaurs. My favorite one is the velociraptor, because it is the fastest runner." ~~W., boy, age 6

 Thank you, so much for the book!

Miss Coventry, Ms. Boltwood, and their class

(Buy through these Amazon sellers.)

'Tommy Goes Trick-or-Treating' Book Tour & Review

Tommy is a mischievous little woodpecker who loves to fly to the edge of the forest and watch the people in the nearby suburb. One evening, something strange and exciting happens--people emerge from their houses wearing costumes and carrying colorful buckets with smiling faces on them. What's even crazier is that they shout a special codeword while standing outside of each house, and are given delicious-looking candy.

Tommy simply must join in the fun. He and his friend, Michael the raccoon, fashion their own costumes and head off to join in the festivities. Thanks to Tommy's knock-knocking beak and Michael's quick paws, the duo is able to heist many a candy bar from the unsuspecting homeowners and children.

But are they missing out on the true spirit of Halloween?

**My thoughts**

Yet again, children are taught an important lesson with this installment of the Bird Brain series. In this one, Tommy the Bird and Michael the Raccoon concoct a plan to join in the fun that the humans are having on Halloween. They come up with their own costumes and attempt to go trick-or-treating. When no one gives them candy, despite their efforts, they decide to just steal as much as they can. After all, more candy is better, right?

I cringed while reading how the two animals plot to obtain as much candy as they could. I can imagine my students' faces while reading the same. This would be a great segue into a conversation about bullying and friendship.

The animals learn a lesson as they gorge themselves on candy, and get sick off of it. They realize that too much candy isn't a good thing and end up returning the candy to the children. Use that piece to discuss nutrition and how to make amends for being hurtful to someone else.

This book, like all the other bird brain books, are great for children ages 4 and up, and can lead into many great conversation pieces. It can be enjoyed in a one-on-one situation or small group.

Buy links: Hardcover / Kindle / Smashwords

BIO:  

Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!  



ONLINE LINKS:

Website & Blog: www.emlynchand.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/emlynchand

Twitter: www.twitter.com/emlynchand

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/emlynchand
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Free Counting Books for Valentine's Day

While browsing Amazon today, I found these Valentine's Day counting books for kids listed as free. Click on a book cover to check them out and to download them yourself.

Please note that the free status of books can and will change, often without notice. These are all free as of the time of this posting.

A Book Of Hearts - Counting Numbers 1 - 10

Book blurb from Amazon:

Children have fun counting hearts on Valentine's Day! (Numbers 1 -10)

Written and illustrated for children (age) 2 - 4

Best viewed in color on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire

Click here to download for Kindle.


Lassie's Valentine Favorites: A Counting Book from 1 to 10

Count to 10 with Lassie the Teddy Bear. Here are her Valentine favorites. Have fun counting with Lassie.

Click here to download for Kindle. Also available in hard copy.


A Valentine's Day Counting Book

Book blurb from Amazon:

Counting fun from 1 to 10, for babies to age 3.
Simple flash card style counting using your favorite Valentine's Day icons.
"One BIG hug," "Two love-birds," "Three lovely ladybugs"

Click here to download for Kindle.

3 Free Sight Word Books for Kids

Today, as I was scouring Amazon, I found three sight word books for kids listed as free for today. I like to download these to add to my collection for my readers. Click on the book cover or link to download your own!

Please remember that the free status of books can and will change without notice at times. These are all free as of the time of my post.

Sight Word Sentences Lesson 1: 5 Sentences Teach 20 Sight Words with Flash Cards (Learn to Read Sight Words)


Blurb from Amazon:

Learn 20 sight words with fun sight word sentences and easy to use sight word flash cards.

The words in this lesson are: a, and, ball, blue, boy, cat, dog, down, fish, girl (and girls), go, has, I, is, little, look, said, see, the & up.

This book is divided into four sections:
- Sentences: This section is designed to teach your child to recognize sight words in a sentence. The five sentences in this book use the 20 words in this lesson.
- Words (alphabetized) - Practice the sight words with flash cards.
- Word Flash Cards then Sentences - Read the words in the sentence then read them all together.
- Sentences then Word Flash Cards - Read the complete sentence, then read each word one at a time!

So what are sight words?: Many of the most frequently used words in English are difficult to sound out and instead, need to be recognized on “sight” for a child to become a proficient reader. Sight words can be known by other names as well including High-frequency words, Dolch words (named after Edward William Dolch, PhD who first compiled the list in 1936), Fry words (named after Dr. Edward B. Fry's who updated the list in 1996), Instant words, Star words and more!

Download for Kindle by clicking here.


Sight Word Book Level 2: 100 Sight Words Book Three (A Kid's Sight Words Book)

Blurb from Amazon:

***Please note: this learn to read and write educational book is set up in a quick to digest 'flash card' type format that helps kids instantly spell and read new words as they learn them.***

'Sight Word Book Level 2: 100 Sight Words Book Three' starts off where 'Sight Word Book Level 2 Book Two' left off and teaches your grade school child sight words in the order of frequency.

The books in this 'Kid's Sight Words Book' series has been broken down into levels (and with four individual books in each level) as educators have found that teaching only a few sight words at a time is the best way to increase the success rate of instant 'sight word' recognition.

A lovable elephant character named Ella, helps make the process of learning kids' sight words fun.

Level 2 in Naomie Webb's 'Sight Word Book' includes a total of four books with each book featuring 25 of the most frequent words children use in reading and writing. Each book in the series covers a different set of 25 sight words.

By the time your child has mastered all the books in the 'Sight Word Book Level 2' book series; he or she will be a more confident beginner reader and ready for reading and writing in grades 2 to 4.

Download for Kindle by clicking here.


Sight Word Book Level 1: 100 Sight Words Book Three (A Kid's Sight Words Book) 

Blurb from Amazon:

'Sight Word Book Level 1: 100 Sight Words Book Three' starts off where 'Book Two' left off and teaches your grade school child sight words in the order of frequency.

The books in this 'Kid's Sight Words Book' series has been broken down into levels (and with four individual books in each level) as educators have found that teaching only a few sight words at a time is the best way to increase the success rate of instant 'sight word' recognition.

A lovable penguin character named Pete, helps make the process of learning kids' sight words fun.

Level 1 in Naomie Webb's 'Sight Word Book' includes a total of four books with each book featuring 25 of the most frequent words children use in reading and writing. Each book in the series covers a different set of 25 sight words.

By the time your child has mastered all the books in the 'Sight Word Book Level 1' book series; he or she will be a more confident beginner reader and ready for reading and writing in grades 1 to 3.

Please note: this learn to read and write educational book is set up in a quick to digest flash card format that helps kids instantly spell and read new words as they learn them. 

Download for Kindle by clicking here. 

'Last Night I Had a Laughmare' by J.E. Laufer

Description

Judy Laufer’s delightful new picture book, Last Night I Had a Laughmare!, takes sleepyheads of all ages to a magical world of bedtime adventure where nothing is EVER quite what it seems! Star-hung swings? Purple hair? Shoelaces made of spaghetti? These are just a few of the surprises in store for visitors to Gigglyville…and the town’s silly residents love to have company. Bring your own chair and join Liverlips, Smellyfeet, Purplepudding and Dishes on an exciting romp through a place where special wishes are granted, snowballs are made of ice cream, and readers will be laughing ‘til morning. 

Advance Praise

"I commend your creativity and would highly recommend these books for young children"

— Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Ph.D.,
Professor and Director of Clinical Training, McGill University, Montreal , Que., Canada

"Children who are learning to read and talk will love "Last Night I had a Laughmare!" Test marketing has shown that picture art and rhymes blend beautifully for this age group. This story will not only hold the children’s attention, but give them the wonderful sensation that they are part of the story and frolicking with the characters.. My grandchildren can’t get enough of these stories! I only hope that Judy Laufer creates more lovely tales like this one, as I am tired of being coaxed into reading the others over and over and over…."
— Clive Cussler
New York Times Bestselling Author of American Adventure/Thriller Novels

"Looks like we may have the next Dr. Seuss! What an imaginative, creative and delightful story...
We all know that laughter is the best medicine!"
— Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevensky, Professor, School/Applied Child Psych

"Move over Dr. Seuss and make room for ‘Dr. Laufer!’ Okay, I don't know whether J.E. Laufer is a doctor or not, but I can say with certainty that her new children's bedtime adventure book, Last Night I Had a Laughmare, can be favorably compared to Dr. Seuss stories. Zany characters, crazy adventures, engaging rhyme and delightful illustrations––it's everything a child would want in a picture book!"
— Lynda Exley, co-author of Arizona Way Out West & Wacky and
Arizona Way Out West & Witty, the 2012 ONEBOOKAZ for kids winner

Amazon Buy Links: Hardcover \ Kindle

About the author:

Born in Budapest, Hungary, J.E. Laufer immigrated with her parents and brother to North America as a young child. An educator by trade, Judy has spent more than 25 years in early childhood education, her experience ranging from a decade in the kindergarten classroom to program administration and curriculum development. Inspired by the innocence and boundless imagination of children, Laufer loves to laugh and enjoys opportunities to share her optimism and love of life with others. Her first picture book, Where Did Papa Go, helps young children through the grieving process and is the recipient of the World Society of Poets’ Golden Poet Award. Raised in Montreal, Canada, Judy now lives in, Arizona with her husband, Dr. Nathan Laufer, and their son, Andrew.

Visit the Little Egg Kids Books Facebook Page.

Visit the book's website. 

'Davey the Detective (A Bird Brain Book)' Book Tour

BLURB:

Davey dubs himself the luckiest crow in the entire world when he finds a wonderful, shiny object. It even has a fantastic name: “paperclip.” Wow!

One dark and dreary day, Davey’s treasure goes missing, and he is beside himself with grief. Luckily, he knows just how he can find out which of the forest animals is to blame for the theft. Inspired by the torn pages of a Sherlock Holmes story that were used to fashion his nest, Davey calls on the help of Sarah the sparrow to investigate the mystery and, hopefully, retrieve his prize.

Together the two birds begin to collect clues. Their trail leads them straight to Mr. Bushtail, a greedy squirrel who keeps a giant store of objects in a hollowed-out tree trunk. When Mr. Bushtail refuses to cooperate, the two birds have no choice but to break into his tree house in search of the truth.

Justice will prevail and treasure will be found in this intriguing tale of mystery.

**My thoughts**

This is yet another cute book in the Bird Brain series by Emlyn Chand. I like how Davey is inspired by Sherlock Holmes and hope that this may inspire children to read them on their own. I know young children love to solve mysteries. I can see them wanting to go on their own paperclip hunt after reading this story.

I also like how it teaches the lesson of "innocent until proven guilty." It also teaches kids to make amends for making incorrect assumptions and accusations against others. And then there is the spirit of teamwork, to get jobs done.

Buy links: Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle 

BIO:  Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

ONLINE LINKS:

Website & Blog:  www.emlynchand.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/emlynchan Twitter:  www.twitter.com/emlynchand Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/emlynchand

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review. a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Honey the Hero! (A Bird Brain Book)' Book Tour

BLURB:

Honey, an inquisitive young parakeet living in the Australian Outback, decides to become a superhero after she spies a human family watching Superman. Since she already has the power of flight, all she needs to do is create a costume to conceal her true identity and then fly off in search of animals that need rescuing.

Unfortunately, every time she tries to help, Honey only ends up making matters worse. She spoils Kangaroo’s game of hide-and-go-seek by revealing his hiding place to Wallaby; Mr. Anteater must go hungry when she alerts the ants to his presence, and Mrs. Koala is made a laughingstock among bears when Honey pretends to be her Joey. Finally realizing that she’s not as heroic as she’d like, Honey gives up her day-saving efforts.

But what happens when someone actually needs Honey’s help? Will she rise to the challenge?

**My thoughts**

How many kids do you know who are like Honey? How many times have you been Honey? I think most people can relate to that desire to help, only to have it backfire. It happens to all of us at one point or another. Honey learns an important lesson to take a step back and assess a situation before diving in to help. Too often we dive in before our help is really needed.  If we are patient, we will be able to help in a special way that only we can.

I think kids will appreciate and relate to the superhero aspect, as they all want to be superheroes in their own right. After reading this book, you can have a discussion with them about ways in which they can be superheroes in their lives. 

Another great Bird Brain book. :-)

Buy links: Amazon \ Kindle     

BIO:  

Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

ONLINE LINKS:

         Website & Blog:  www.emlynchand.com

         Facebook:  www.facebook.com/emlynchand

         Twitter:  www.twitter.com/emlynchand

         Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/emlynchand

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of 'Ethan's Story: My Life With Autism'

Book blurb from Amazon:

When Ethan Rice was four years old, he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Hedecided that he wanted to tell his first grade class that he had autism on his seventh birthday. His parents asked him many questions about what having autism felt like for him and wrote his answers down as a reference for when he told his class. Those answers are now published so more people can understand what it is like to have autism. While each child on the spectrum has unique challenges and strengths, Ethan's Story; My Life with Autism is Ethan's own story.

**My thoughts**

I snatched up this book during an Anchor Publishing Group sale for Kindle and wish I also had it in paperback. Autism is near and dear to my heart, as I have several friends with children with autism and have also taught many. They are some of my favorite kids, because I love the way their minds work. They really are just kids whose brains work differently.

Ethan decided to write this book to help explain to his classmates what it meant for him to have autism. He first points out how kids are the same because they are all different. And then that his brain works differently than most of theirs. He then explains why he does the things he does, and ways in which they can help him. He also shares how autism is a great gift and his pride in being the boy that God created. 

I admire him for doing this. I want to read it to all kids, and to many adults, to emphasize that these kids are good kids. They look at life differently and require a bit of tweaking in how you interact with them. But they are still wonderful people. I hope people can learn from Ethan.

Buy links: Paperback / Kindle 

'Poppy the Proud (A Bird Brain Book)' Book Tour

BLURB:

Poppy is the prettiest peacock in the entire garden, but one day his privileged existence is upset when an all-white peacock is born and promptly named the most beautiful by a smitten flock. Intensely jealous, Poppy no longer knows where he fits in and decides to reclaim his title as the fairest bird in all the land, no matter what it takes.

In a desperate attempt to regain the admiration of his peers, Poppy steals items from the humans that visit his park. He wraps himself in a beautiful silk scarf, wears a series of ornate bangles around his neck, and even tries to dye his feathers with colored dust from a festive Holi celebration. Unfortunately, each of these attempts not only fails to improve his appearance, they actually make it worse. What’s a poor bird to do?

In this compelling tale of self-esteem, pride, and learning what makes each of us special, Poppy the peacock discovers that true beauty lies beneath the feathers.

**My thoughts**

I enjoyed this fairy tale.  It is a story that has been told so many different ways over the years, yet continues to be relevant. Children need to learn compassion for each other for who they are. Snow is an excellent role model for acceptance. Children also need to learn to be happy for being themselves. Poppy eventually learns this lesson. I think many children will easily learn the lesson contained within and will be able to relate to Poppy.

The illustrations were fun and captured the gist of the story.

This is a story I would recommend for children ages 4 and up. 

I shared this story with a six year-old boy. He also enjoyed the pictures, exclaiming, "Wow!" every time I turned a page to reveal a new illustration. He chuckled here and there as Poppy made a fool of himself, trying to show off. He smiled when Snow helped Poppy realize that he was still beautiful in his own way. 

He gave me the following review:

"Tell the author that I felt sad when the other animals were making fun of Poppy. And tell her that I felt happy when Snow made Poppy feel better. And tell her that I liked her book."

So, there you have it, out of the mouths of babes.

I continue to look forward to reading more of the books in this series.

Buy links: Paperback \ Kindle      

 

BIO:  Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visit EmlynChand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

ONLINE LINKS:

         Website & Blog:  www.emlynchand.com

         Facebook:  www.facebook.com/emlynchand

         Twitter:  www.twitter.com/emlynchand

         Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/emlynchand

6 Free Christmas Books for Kids - December 8, 2012

Free is always a good thing! Check out this collection of Christmas freebies for kids.

Please note that these books are free at the time of posting. Free status can and does change without notice. Always verify the buy price, instead of the borrow price.

The Christmas Stories Book
   

Blurb from Amazon:
The Christmas Stories Book 1 includes 5 interesting, simple and easy to read books for young children who are learning to read. The books include: The Christmas Alphabet, Have You Been Good, Thank You Santa, Letter To Santa and The Night Before Christmas. The stories have simple words and sentences, repeated words, lots of pictures and flashcards with sight words at the end of each story.

These books are the perfect opportunity to introduce your child to the joys of reading.They are suitable for children aged from 2 to 6 years of age who are beginner readers. These easy sight word books will turn your child onto reading, giving them to confidence to read by themselves. At the end of each story they can practice reading the sight words in each book. This is the perfect introduction to reading!

Katrina Kahler is an award winning teacher (National Inspirational Teacher Award) who has been teaching children to read for 30 years. Her 'I Am A Reader' Series contain books that are perfect for fostering your child's ability to read.

The Christmas Stories Book 2 gives another 5 interesting easy to read sight word books. The titles include: The Very Hungry Santa, Where Is Rudolph, Santa's Message, All About Santa and Christmas Wishes. Your child will love all of these stories and read them over and over again.

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/RhVZWJ

12 Days of Christmas: A Christmas Counting Book for Kids

Blurb from Amazon:
The 12 Days of Christmas is a fun and colorful Christmas Book for kids who love to count. A lovable version of the all-time favorite children's Christmas song filled with colorful illustrations and simple text, perfect for little readers.

This cheerful Christmas book for kids has simple lower case text and clear, legible, numbers so little learners will be able to identify and follow along with the story. Each of the 12 Days of Christmas has its own page, complete with the number of the day and a matching number of items to count.

Children will have fun reading along with the main character, Ella, as she invites readers to join her and her Daddy in reading and counting each of the 12 Days of Christmas. New for 2012, it is sure to become one of your little one's favorite Christmas books for Kindle.

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/YYvK9G

The 'Christmouse' Boot
 
Blurb from Amazon:
On a beautiful, snowy Christmas Eve, Father Christmas is making his deliveries ~ but he soon discovers that he has a huge problem! A huge problem for Santa Claus, on Christmas Eve, could easily become a huge problem for all of the children of the world, unless he can get help ~ and quickly! Luckily, two very little creatures, with great big hearts, are on hand ~ Miriam and Marcus Mouse!

This is a heart-warming seasonal tale, which would make an ideal December bedtime story for young children.

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/SOgton

Santa's Diary

Blurb from Amazon:
A unique opportunity to hear Santa's story first hand. Find out how he gets down chimneys, visits everyone and hear amusing elf tales.

A quick message from Santa ...

Hello everyone, and welcome to my diary.
People have been asking me for years to write about my experiences and what's going on in my world. So I have finally given in and I'm going to share with you all what I'm getting up to. I’ll be keeping a record here of all my preparations for Christmas and news for the next fews month. And what a time it's going to be. The elves are already hard at work, and Rudolf and the other Reindeer are well rested. We’re all looking forward to another great Christmas. I hope you’ll read this diary regularly and send me lots of nice letters, and even track my movements over the coming month.

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/SGFMr1

Harold and the Bad Dog Xmas Puppy

Blurb from Amazon:
Harold, the Golden Retriever, is having another strange Christmas. First he hears the people in the church talking about him again. Its amazing how this happens on Xmas! "Harold be your name," the people are saying. "Your Will be Done." Of course, Harold is really happy about this. But then another strange thing happens--the dad brings home a Xmas puppy. Prince, the Tibetan Terrier, wants Harold's doggy biscuits. And he has his eye on the turkey. Then Prince knocks over the Xmas candles. Can Harold saved Xmas again?

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/TLL0UC

Letters from Santa: A Christmas Alphabet

Blurb from Amazon:

Santa shares his favorite things about Christmas in this alphabet book. Learn the ABCs with holiday cheer and a fun rhyming children's book about Christmas. For children ages 2-5.  

Download for your Kindle: http://amzn.to/12dVnCx