This beautifully written picture book is a wonderful addition to the library of late elementary and middle-school students. It relates the story of an African princess who became queen of two African kingdoms of the 1600s.
Njinga survived a difficult birth. After her father breathed life into her, he realized she was a survivor. Despite the jealousy of her older brother, Njinga succeeded in school and observed carefully. When her brother became king, she had to flee, but she returned when the country needed her.
This story is told simply yet eloquently. The illustrations are exquisite. There are beautiful maps, a timeline and historical facts that provide a plethora of information on African and Portuguese history.
I highly recommend the book to parents, teachers and librarians as a valuable reference book on medieval African history. It also provides a strong role model for young women who seek to be the future leaders of tomorrow.
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Curly Jones is eleven years old. He is bullied by his fifth-grade classmates and a mean teacher. Nothing seems to be going right until he meets a new neighbor, Belle. He is happy to learn she will be in his class.
Belle introduces him to a secret world. She shows him a magic tree house that transports her to a fantasy world. Curly cannot believe that Belle accepts him as her best friend. Together, they enter a secret world with magical creatures and fascinating adventures.
Curly discovers that Belle has magical powers, but that is just the beginning. After a few trips through the tree house portal, Curtly discovers a long-lost heritage that affords him the power to change his life and that of others.
This is the beginning of an adventure/fantasy series that will appeal to the eight to twelve year old reader. The book is an easy read with short chapters that are perfect for reluctant readers.
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Many people place value on educational success. Whether you feel it’s important to attain socioeconomic status, increase earning power, or simply be more of a well-rounded person, there are many arguments for pro-school attitudes.
From the start of a child’s beginning in school, when they are in preschool or kindergarten, we can cultivate an attitude of success, growth, and eagerness in them.
As they grow, their own success will depend more and more on themselves as they make their own choices. However, there are some things you can do to make it more likely they’ll succeed.
Routines and Daily Habits
For example:
Bodybuilders’ routines involve going to the gym each day.
A firefighter’s routine involves putting on gear and getting into the truck as quickly and safely as possible.
Police officers have routines when clearing a crime scene.
Garbage men have routines to pick up trash in the most methodical order as possible.
A routine for a child in school is no different. Explaining to your child that everyday professionals and jobs use routines is also important so they will understand the value in it.
The routine you choose for your child depends on your individual child, but basically involves setting aside a specific time of day and place for something related to their education.
What do successful school routines look like?
Consider these routines:
Completing homework everyday after school at the kitchen table
Writing down each subject’s homework in a daily journal or planner
Eating a healthy breakfast each morning with your student and discussing school
Asking your child about one or two important lessons they learned in school that day
Educational Check-In
While the singular job of a student is to go to school each day, the job of that student’s parent or caretaker is to help the student cultivate an attitude of learning. Despite the fact that we, as parents and guardians, have our own busy lives to deal with, it’s important to keep in mind that our children also are growing and learning.
There are many conversation starters revolving around school, and it is critical that parents set aside time each day to ask about school.
For example, you can ask:
What happened in school
How the school day went
What they learned
Whether anything was surprising
Or even what grades they got on tests
For older students, having a more in-depth conversation related to the transfer of educational knowledge to the real world is important.
Value of Report Card Grades
Some parents choose to motivate their children with rewards for good grades. While there are arguments for and against giving a child money for earning an “A” or a “B” on a report card, this can be done in a responsible way.
The basic idea is to motivate them with external rewards, but then phase it out as they grow older and the motivation comes from within themselves.
Overall, there are certainly many things you can do to jumpstart the excitement and energy that students have for school. With parenting, there are no right or wrong answers and you can even devise your own system for motivating your student for success.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Who doesn’t love to color beautiful illustrations and learn interesting facts that enrich the mind?
If you also like amazing drawings and cool facts and believe it’s important to impart knowledge and broaden your child’s horizons, the We Can Color! series was created especially for you!
These eleven books cover topics that will interest anyone at any age: Dinosaurs, Vehicles, Aircraft, Space, and Animals from around the world in their natural environment: Farm, Jungle, Ocean, Savannah, Forest, and Desert!
Did you know that the most dangerous animal in the savannah is the hippopotamus? That the oldest koi fish lived to be 226 years old? That some goats can climb trees? And that the terrible T-Rex was not the biggest dinosaurs predator?
How big is the Sun relative to the Earth? What was the first man-made object to reach space? What is the fastest land animal? The tallest? The heaviest?
Did you know that scorpions glow in ultraviolet light? That male seahorses are the ones that get pregnant? That one of the astronauts lost his glove in space? That one of our planets was given its name by a girl in elementary school? And that there is an aircraft that takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane?
Do you know the speed of the fastest truck in the world? Or how much does the heaviest tractor weighs?
What is the price of the world’s most expensive fighter jet? How much does an Air Force One flight hour cost?
What is the most venomous snake in the world? The most venomous jellyfish? The most poisonous frog? And do you know how to distinguish between a mammal and a fish in the ocean? Or how to tell a jaguar from a panther?
Next to each of the 330 full-page illustrations you can color, there are interesting facts: over 1,375 facts throughout the 11 books!
All the books contain full-page original coloring pages that are not repeated!
The extra-large pages are 8.5 x 11 inches in size!
All the illustrations are single-sided to prevent bleed-through and can be torn out and displayed without losing the images on the back!
All the illustrations and information are suitable for ages 5 and up. Children, teens, and adults will enjoy relaxed moments while coloring and learning fun facts!
The We Can Color – Fun & Facts Coloring Books series includes the following books:
What kid would not want this collection of cool coloring books. Space, trucks, animals, oceans, jungles, deserts, and the world as your oyster!
The large outline images are clear and simple enough for a young child to color. But there is a plethora of information packed into each one. Young artists will also learn more than 1300 facts about each of the topics in the series.
Gershowitz provides hours of entertainment for children as young as five that can also be enjoyed by grandparents who are ninety.
I love books like these that provide an outlet of artistic expression and creativity, while expanding and enriching the mind. Highly recommended.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of the We Can Color! coloring books, as well as a Crayola Inspiration Art Case Coloring Set!
One (1) grand prize winner receives: A set of the eleven We Can Color! coloring books, as well as a Crayola Inspiration Art Case Coloring Set.
One (1) winner receives: A set of six We Can Color! coloring books.
Anyone Can Draw Unicorns: Easy Step-by-Step Drawing Tutorial for Kids, Teens, and Beginners How to Learn to Draw Unicorns Book 1 (Aspiring artist’s guide)
Written and illustrated by Julia Smith
No mystery here. The book matches its title. Smith presents 35 color pictures of unicorns. Then she gives a step by step method one box at a time to complete the drawing.
If you have a child who is enamored of unicorns, this book provides an opportunity to lend a creative outlet. Smith encourages young artists to add original details to make their drawings unique. She reminds them to practice over and over as artistic expression is a learning curve.
Budding artists who are in late elementary and middle-school will be entertained by the book
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Alice Eloise’s Silver Linings: The Story of a Silly Service Dog
Written by Sarah Kathryn Frey
Illustrated by Kit Nicua
This book is a beautiful picture book that effectively teaches children how service dogs assist disabled people. As the story opens, readers are introduced to Double Doodle pups awaiting adoption. Sarah Kate is a young woman with physical disabilities who is seeking a pup to train as a service dog.
Our young protagonist pup who is selected is named Alice Eloise. He is a fun-loving silly pup who must learn how to perform a very serious job. Throughout the book, readers discover how service dogs assist their owners. In addition, the biography of Sarah Kate is included.
I recommend this book highly for elementary and middle-grade students. Parents or teachers can use the tale to develop empathy and educate youngsters about people with disabilities. The illustrations are exquisite and the story opens up multiple avenues for meaningful discussions.
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Family Means…:A children’s picture book about diversity, inclusion, and love
Written by Matthew Ralph
Illustrated by Badrus Soleh
This multicultural picture book reveals the plethora of family groups that may make a family. It includes families of different races, religions and abilities, including those with disabilities.
The author emphasizes the qualities that families share rather than the physical or surface differences. For example, families share activities, work as a team, learn from each other, cheer each other up, and love one another.
At the end of the book, there is a space for readers to interact by defining what family means to them and drawing a picture of their own family. A charming bedtime story or read aloud book for preschool and elementary school children, families, and teachers.
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HOW TO TELL WRITE AND MAKE UP A STORY: CHILDREN’S STORYTELLING LEARNING BOOK PART 1
Rose Press House
An interesting approach to teaching the art of storytelling. In Part 1 of this series, readers meet Tom, a 12 year old boy who loves listening to stories. Tom, his uncle, spends lots of time doing telling Tom stories. One day, Tom suggests that they change things up. He asks the boy to tell him a story. The boy is at a loss. He says he does not know how to do that.
Patiently, Tom guides the boy step by step. Through their conversation, he guides readers through the process. First, Tom decides on the main character and describes him. Then he sets a moral and theme for his story. The boy decides on a name for his story and develops an outline to put the details that support his character and theme in order. Then the boy writes a draft of the first part of his story and shows it to an adult to read. But the story is not finished. The boy needs to complete the transitions, details, and supplementary characters that will provide a resolution or completion of the story. That will be coming in Part 2.
I liked this casual approach using storytelling as a vehicle not only to develop communication skills, but also to teach the steps necessary to write an effective story. Many middle-grade students who have difficulty organizing both their ideas and putting them down on paper will enjoy this unique approach to oral and written storytelling.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Welcome to the amazing world of dinosaurs! Children ages 8 and up can discover where these prehistoric creatures lived, the food they ate, and what they may have looked like. Along the way, they’ll encounter bone-crushing teeth, slashing claws, and spiked tails while learning fascinating facts about dinosaur eggs and fossils, moving continents, climate changes, exploding volcanoes, and even an asteroid crashing into Earth.
An accomplished science and nature illustrator, Patricia J. Wynne is the recipient of the 2008 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor and has won awards from Parenting magazine, the John Burroughs Association, and the National Science Teachers Association. Patricia’s artwork has appeared in galleries, magazines, newspapers, and more than 100 books for both children and adults. She is the illustrator of numerous successful Dover titles on science and nature, including My First Book About Outer Space and My First Book About the Body.
Trained as a research scientist, Donald M. Silver has written more than 80 books for students of all ages and for teachers. His One Small Square series takes a close-up look at plants and animals where they live. He has won numerous awards including the Children’s Science Writing Award in Physics and Astronomy from the American Institute of Physicists. He lives in New York City where he has worked with Patricia J. Wynne since 1981 and with whom he has co-authored numerous successful Dover titles on science and nature, including the “My First Book” series.
MY REVIEWS
In My First Book About Dinosaurs, children gain a wealth of information while applying their artistic talent to coloring the pages.
The illustrations are detailed and aptly captioned. First, the definition and concept of fossils are explored. The work of paleontologists is explained. Next, the reader learns about the Triassic, Cretaceous, and Jurassic Periods, names of the dinosaurs living in each period, and their characteristics. Finally, readers learn the parts of the world inhabited by each dinosaur and what might have caused their extinction.
Children learn a ton of information by carefully reading the descriptions and studying the illustrations. Highly recommend it for children in the eight to twelve age range.
The oceans book is a perfect choice for children interested in weather phenomena, sealife, volcanoes, tsunamis, and geography. They will enjoy the illustrations and the detailed information accompanying them.
There is a section about climate, the different types of regions around the globe, animals who live under the sea, and the interrelationship of atmosphere and the oceans. A bit of oceanographic history is included.
Recommended for students in grades three through six.
The coloring book about our amazing Earth is a good first introduction to Earth Science. Young explorers learn about rocks, minerals, mountains, our solar system, and the history of our planet.
They are introduced to volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, caves, geysers, and some of our treasured national parks.
After coloring the beautiful illustration, future scientists will want to keep the book as a wealth of reference information.
Recommended for students ages eight through twelve.
I never fully realized the ecosystem available in my own backyard. This book explores backyard treasures found both day and night. There are insects, birds tiny one-celled creatures, and large animals. Many examples of how their life cycles are dependent upon each other are explained. Silver shows trees, leaves, the changes in seasons, how to identify creatures, and the dangers to avoid in the backyard. Readers even learn how to plant a tree.
This beautifully illustrated book will keep middle-grade outdoor enthusiasts busy for hours and provide a plethora of information about our natural world.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of four My First Science Books!
Three (3) winners receive:
A copy of My First Book About Dinosaurs
A copy of My First Book About Our Amazing Earth
A copy of My First Book About the Oceans
A copy of My First Book About Backyard Nature
The giveaway begins May 31, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 30, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
A pleasant retelling of the City and Country Mouse fable. In this modern-day picture book, two cousins both love to camp but have different views on how to do so.
Thomas takes to the road with his tent, while his cousin, Harvey likes the comforts of his RV camper. Thomas convinces Harry to go camping with him in his tent. Both enjoy their daytime adventures but Harvey hates the inconveniences of sleeping in the tent. Next time, they try it with Harvey’s RV. Thomas does not think sleeping in an RV affords the real feel of a camp experience. Will they continue to disagree or can they find a way to agree to disagree?
This is a cute picture book with a lesson worth remembering. My only complaint is that the small size of the text is a bit difficult for the beginning reader that it is targeted for to read easily. Recommended for beginning and elementary school age readers, particularly camping enthusiasts.
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August 28, 2021
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