THE BOOK OF YOU: Raising Happy Kids Book Collection
Written by Prof. Tiptoe
This is a short rhyming book in which parents are reading to a small child. The parents are giving the many reasons why their child is so important. In the short rhymes, the developmental stages of a child are presented. The book ends with the child as a adult ready to write her own book for her own children.
Nothing earthshaking here. Simply a sweet, charming, rhyme book in which parents can express love of their children and build up self-esteem. It would be a nice gift for new parents.
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Today I would like to share this handy reference tool that you can use when you are looking for content you can use for a quick post when you don’t have a lot of time to research and scour the internet. Who doesn’t want to save time? We are all constantly multitasking. This little guide will point you in the right direction.
100 + Free Tools to Create Content for Social Media & Web: 2021 (Free Online Tools Book 2)
Written by Anita Nipane
Nice resource to keep when you need a quick reminder and don’t want to take out time to research and find exactly what you need. It will help you to design simple book covers and find quality photos that can be used without paying for them,
I appreciated the section on videos and animations. as well as how to edit with free tools. The author teaches how to create an attractive logo online with templates and where to find attractive fonts that are free.
I predict that I will be referring to this handy reference many times in the future.
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The Boy Who Painted the World: A Middle Grade Novel
Written by Melody J. Bremen
While the subtitle of this book indicates a middle grade novel, this book can be enjoyed by adults as well. It tells the story of Indigo, a ten-year-old boy who is abandoned by his mother. He finds a friend with Jade, an older teen, who tries to take care of him until fate intervenes. They are separated and Indigo is forced to fend for himself. Indigo has a passion for painting. It fuels his desire to survive. He is resilient and resourceful. While Indigo is wary of trusting others, he gradually learns to reach out and experience a connection to others.
Bremen does a marvelous job of painting her characters and developing them for her readers. Each page reveals a different layer. This book is addictive, once opened the reader will have difficulty putting it aside. Readers cannot wait to discover what will happen to Indigo and his newly found friends and enemies.
This is a powerful story about resilience, homelessness, and adoption. These issues are addressed within a moving novel that encourages deep thought and discussion. Highly recommended for readers aged ten and older.
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Mermaids and Mayhem: A Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Written by Erin Hayes
I would say this book is more of a novella than a novel. At a little more than 150 pages, it is a good choice for middle grade readers who enjoy romance and paranormal genres. The protagonist is an eighteen-year-old young lady taking a year off before going off to study marine biology in college. Tara gets a summer job working for aquariums across the country. While in Houston, she undergoes a mysterious transformation in the seas.
Tara is transformed into a mermaid and she meets Finn. A romance soon develops. Now, enter the problem. Will Tara remain a sea creature and pursue her romance or will she return to land and resume her human life. Tara has always wanted to be a mermaid, but?????
Recommended as a quick read for readers ages ten and older.
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The Big Adventures of a Little Tree: Tree Finds Friendship
Written by Nadja Springer
Illustrated by Tilia Rand-Bell
A little tree possesses an overwhelming urge to travel and see the world. But how can he move? His roots are deep and entrenched in the soil.
The tree has an idea. He recruits the birds of the forest to help him. Slowly, he advances forward. When he comes upon a group of children, he has the opportunity to create deep friendships. Seasons come and go. Will the little tree be able to sustain his dreams?
I like the ideas and concepts that are conveyed through the simple words and illustrations. Having read the kindle version, the size of font was small even when enlarged. That is a drawback for beginning readers who want to read the electronic version.
This book affords the opportunity to explore many topics such as immigration, nature, environment, and mindfulness. That is why I would recommend it for readers of all ages.
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This book is an adorable picture book that will inspire the creativity of budding young artists of any age everywhere. Pinky Doodle is a tiny bug who loves to paint her thoughts on everything she sees. One day she realizes that her drawings needed stories. So Pinky calls on her friends in the forest to share their stories.
Many animals of the forest like birds, butterflies, bunnies, caterpillars and others relate their tales to Pinky. She eagerly illustrates each of them with her doodles. By combining their talents, the friends had produced a beautiful composition.
This book is told in simple, crisp rhymes, accompanied by vividly colored illustrations. It is sure to please readers from preschool age on up. It will even put a smile on the face of adult readers.
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I recently read this book that I think both fiction and nonfiction writers will benefit by putting it on your reading list. Authors are storytellers. They reveal their soul to the world, whether that be creating fiction or talking about elements of the real world.
Here is my review of this thought-provoking book.
GETTING YOUR STORY OUT TO THE WORLD
THE STORY ADVANTAGE
Written by L J Bloom
If you want to effectively transmit your story to the world, this book will give you the tools to not only write but promote your story to your ideal audience. Nonfiction as well as fiction writers will find it useful.
Bloom begins by reminding us about the origin of storytelling, how the art has evolved over time, and the way stories need to be communicated in today’s world. The key to success is to make your story relevant to the type of audience who will benefit and relate to it. Bloom then explores the reasons we tell stories, and the many diverse types of stories that can be told.
The second part of the book gets into the nitty gritty of how to craft your story. That involves becoming clear about your audience and becoming clear about your message. Next, authors must find a way to make it pertinent to their audience. How can you make your message useful to them? A key ingredient is to get your readers emotionally involved in the story.
The last part of the book is the actual telling of the story. How does the storyteller use body language, voice, physical setting, and firsthand experiences to transmit the story in a memorable way to the listener? Only after accomplishing all these tasks will an author be able to successfully engage, inspire and influence her audience.
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There’s something special about looking back through treasures from your childhood. A long forgotten picture or story that you wrote in fourth grade brings you back to memories of you and your family today. Wouldn’t it be great to preserve memories for each of your children?
CONSIDER THESE SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLECTING AND PRESERVING WONDEFUL MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY:
Obtain a box for each child’s memories.
If you already have designated storage space for each child’s mementos, it will be easy to stash new items into their “treasure box.”
The box can be as large as you have room to store it. Decorative boxes of different shapes and sizes are available at your local big box or craft store.
Or consider purchasing a plastic storage draw unit from a big box or stationery store. Label each drawer with your children’s names. When you have something to add, open the drawer and pop it inside.
Save school papers and projects.
Put the date, the grade when the task is completed, and the name of the child’s teacher on the back of the papers and the artwork you want to save.
Depending on how specific you want to provide, you can include the name of the school and the address you lived at during that time.
Preserve special photo memories.
You can use computer storage for files of pictures for each child. Back up your pictures each month to a flash drive or an external hard drive.
Or you can take pictures, print the ones you like, and date them on the back of the print. Add a brief description or record one, if you prefer.
Store hard-copy pictures in the child’s memory box. Then placing them in a fireproof safe or safe deposit box at a bank will protect them from loss or natural disaster.
Document special events.
Another fun way to preserve memories is by recording your observations and thoughts about your child’s experiences. Recording a one or two-page summary will help you recall them later.
So many of us would love to remember our childhoods for many years in the future. Take a little time now to document these occurrences for them.
Some suggestions include successful moments in the classroom, dance recitals, sports triumphs, or graduations.
But do not forget about struggles. Overcoming obstacles or failures that made a child stronger is just as important to recall.
Don’t forget those funny moments. A funny situation or a silly question make lovely memories.
To sum up, recording snippets of time from your child’s experiences through writing, pictures, and video are now available to us through modern technology. They are valuable tools to make documenting our memories simple and efficient.
Ten or twenty years from now, you will be able to sit down and view these memories through the eyes of two adults who have shared so many memories.
Don’t neglect to build a family history because you are too busy with everyday chores. I can personally attest to wishing that I had the technology available today to preserve more of my own children’s memories.
Last month, I posted an article on #World Kindness Day. Then I thought about the lack of it.
It seems life has taken us to a place where we no longer value kindness as a trait. In fact, kindness has been replaced with self-importance and wanting to stay impersonal. The question is why has the world become less kind? Is it that we no longer care about others? Do we believe kindness makes us weak? Is the lack of kindness from some global change?
I believe that kindness has become less important in the world today for many reasons:
We’re in a big hurry. Life has become so fast paced, filled with appointments and places to be that we no longer take the time to simply listen to someone.
Technology has taken place of the human face-to-face, voice-to-voice interactions of the past. No longer do we pick up the phone or meet face-to-face to talk to others. Now we spend our time texting, posting, getting involved in others drama or simply playing mindless games on our cell phones, tablets, computers and even our watches.
Technology has allowed us to say it’s okay to be late all the time. After all, we can simply text our friend we’re running late, and they’ll know. It’s taken away the common courtesies of saying thank you, hello, nice to meet you, please and “how can I help you”.
We no longer smile at others when we see them. We no longer sympathize or help someone who is having a rough day. Instead we place an emoji on our social media post or in a text and call it done.
There’s an app for everything. Want to have a relationship? Use this app. Want to order your dinner? Use this app. Are these apps taking away the connectedness we once had that created kindness? I believe they do.
Self-centeredness and greed is another reason kindness has taken a backseat. Many people are focused on their own lives, on getting ahead and doing whatever is necessary to beat the other guy.
People are more interested in taking care of their own self before they reach out and extend some type of kindness to others. We’ve become a society of “me first” that wasn’t seen as often just a few years ago.
Our environment causes us to withdraw from others. Living in crowded cities among strangers can make you quickly hide your natural tendency to be generous and kind to others. With crime, kidnappings, murders and other fears running wild in many cities, people have found it safer to keep to themselves. Road rage keeps people from stopping to help someone with car trouble.
Family structure has changed. Our upbringingwas different 30 years ago. We believed in helping each other. Neighbors looked out for each other. People weren’t afraid to help the poor and needy. People and children were taught to respect others and to be trustworthy and honest.
Today people are more afraid to show their kindness. Society is deeply divided. There is fear that we will be attacked for what we say or do. We don’t want to appear vulnerable and to get hurt so we attack with words and actions as a way to self-protect ourselves.
Kindness has taken a backseat to greed, technology, poor manners and the environment we live in. Instead of showing kindness we’re afraid to be seen as the nice guy because we might be taken advantage of.
I do not mean to imply all is lost. Like my Little Miss HISTORY character, I prefer to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. There are many philanthropic organizations out there that strive to alleviate suffering and help those in need. But I think we all need to be consciously aware of how easy it is to shut others out because we are too much wrapped up in ourselves.
Will is spending the Christmas holidays in Scotland at his grandparents house. His three best friends, Joe, Amy, and Sarah have joined him.
The foursome venture out to check out the scene of a recent accident in which a tree fell on a vehicle narrowly missing killing the driver. They are distracted when their dog follows another dog. Of course, they need to investigate the urgency. When they come upon a man dressed as Santa Claus in the snow, the mystery deepens. It’s Christmas Eve and the snow is falling. How will the children be able to rescue the injured driver and solve the mystery?
This thirty page short story is a page turned. Although it is written for middle-grade audiences, I could not put the book down. American readers should note that this book is written in British English, but it is an easy read.
I highly recommend adding it to your holiday reading list.
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Check out all my learning opportunities at www. LittleMissHISTORY.com
March 24, 2021
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