Babu and Bina at the Ghost Party (Babu and Bina Book Series 1)
Written by P Tomar
Illustrated by Giulia Iacopini
Mama and Papa Trunk are preparing to take their elephant children, Babu and Bina to the old Indian fort. The children are excited. When a candy man warns them to watch out for the ghost of the Maharaja, their interest peaks even more. As the children eagerly explore the fort, Pina, their pup, takes off. They follow her and get locked in a mysterious room where they will meet many ghosts of the fort gathered together for a celebration. Will the children find a way back to their parents?
Babu and Bina are an adorable brother and sister pair who teach their readers much about sibling cooperation and Indian history. This promises to be an interesting series on Indian culture and history. Vivid illustrations will engage even the youngest reader. The short length makes it a good choice for a bedtime story or a read- aloud. Recommended for children ages three through eight.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
Many children like Lola have a warm, fuzzy blanket that they see as a comforting friend. Lola has grown beyond the toddler and preschool years, but she continues to take her blanket everywhere she goes. One day her father asks her to leave the blanket at home when they are going out to a restaurant.
When the family return home, Lola’s blanket cannot be found. Lola is extremely upset. The next day, while cleaning, Lola’s mom finds the blanket. Lola goes back to sleeping with her blanket.
I can sympathize with Lola. One of my children was very attached to her blanket. While the premise of the story is a good one, it seems strange that Lola would be comfortable bringing her blanket to school. I think it would have been better for Lola’s dad to discuss the situation rather than tell her to leave the blanket home and then hide it. Parents and teachers might want to use this book to discuss the subject of separation anxiety, particularly with preschool and kindergarten children.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
I am starting a new feature on my blog. Rather than simply reading and reviewing family-friendly books for my audience, I will be taking a peek behind the scenes at the writer. After all, we all want to know the mysterious person behind the curtain. So without delay, let me introduce you to the talented Eugenia Chu, who has a brand new release tomorrow, September 3.
About the Author:
Eugenia Chu is an attorney,
turned stay-at-home mom, turned writer. She lives on a magical beach in
Miami with her husband and son, Brandon, who is the inspiration for her
stories. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling, yoga and drinking too
much coffee. She has
been a presenter at numerous schools, libraries and book festivals.
When Brandon was very little,
the author couldn’t find children’s storybooks to read to him which touched
upon Chinese culture and which included some Chinese (Mandarin) words to teach
and/or reinforce his Chinese vocabulary, so she started writing her own. Brandon
Goes to Beijing (北京)is her second “Brandon” story and first
children’s chapter book.
Brandon
Goes to Beijing (北京), a brand new chapter book by
author, Eugenia Chu, launches on TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019!As a special bonus, the Kindle Ebook version will be
FREE on Amazon that day, too!!!
Please download this adorable book and if you like it, please leave a review to
thank the author and her illustrator, Eliza Hsu Chen, for all their hard work!
In this story, Brandon and his cousins are on a
trip to visit their grandparents in Beijing, China! While bonding with family,
practicing Chinese, touring historic sites and feasting on local dishes,
Brandon thinks he sees a tiny panda. However, every time he gets close, the
panda disappears! Is Brandon imagining this small creature, or is it real? Will
Brandon find out before he has to fly back home?
Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) is a multicultural, multigenerational chapter book. This book
includes some Mandarin Chinese (Simplified) with Pinyin pronunciation, adding
layers for those learning or interested in the Chinese language and culture. Brandon
Goes to Beijing (北京)
follows Eugenia’s
debut picture book, Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi
(餃子)(a story about a boy and his grandma
who bond while making Chinese dumplings, called jiǎo zi (餃子).
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
This is a charming black and white book that encourages children to learn to draw. Many children feel frustrated because they lack an artistic flair. Readers are introduced to three-line drawings dubbed The Scribbles. Anyone who came across the page thought them a bunch of scribblers. One day a child came along and said hello. The child saw the great potential that each of the scribbles might be. This child could see a sun, a mountain and a tree possibility within their lines. The child was just beginning to learn to draw, but he persisted until he created a sun and a mountain. But when the child approached the third scribble, he became frustrated and disheartened. It was The Scribbles turn to encourage and motivate the child to continue until he succeeded. Soon the child was pushing himself to more complicated drawings.
I like the author’s message that there is potential to succeed if a child has the courage to persist. The amount of talent is not nearly as important as the determination to succeed. Recommended especially for preschoolers and primary grade children as a motivational tool.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
This is a unique recipe book written by a robotics team composed of students, ages nine through thirteen. Alarmed by the fact that almost one-third of our food goes to waste, these students compiled a list of recipes that use food scraps.
There are some intriguing entries. They succeed in concocting pizza, ices, candy wraps, chocolate milk and peanut butter pops and apple desserts. For the holidays, why not try Christmas Day French Toast? These students are certainly to be commended for originality. At the end of the book, there is a short profile for each of the students on the team.
This book is a fun twist on a recipe book. Steps are outlined for each recipe, but the photos could be larger to make the recipe more enticing. Recommended for elementary and middle-grade students.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
I would heartily recommend this book for parents and educators who are interested in navigating the tricky world of special education. For parents who suspect that something is just not right, this book provides an introduction to the types of disabilities and treatments available. Teachers who have not been trained in the field of special education need a basic understanding of the problems and resources available to treat them.
This book is divided into three sections. The first part explores the endless jargon employed in the educational testing, developing the plan, and implementing the Individual Educational Plan that each diagnosed child is entitled to have. This is a very scary and confusing process for parents. In the second section, the author explains who are the members of the team, how long the process takes, and how a parent can successfully advocate for their child. The third section is an alphabetical listing of the most common disabilities found in children, accommodations available within the school, reference links to resources, and how to reinforce what is taught in the school setting right in the home.
The world of special education is often written in legal language fraught with difficulty to understand. The way an IEP is developed and implemented varies greatly from state to state and school district. This book gives parents and teachers a good introduction and provides a readable reference source. As an educator with forty years of experience in general and special education, I would highly recommend this handbook to those about to become familiar with the special education world.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the orange RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
This book follows the journey of a quarter from the time it is made at the mint. The rolling quarter is a cheerful narrator who tells of his beginning at the mint with George Washington stamped on his head and The Statue of Liberty stamped on his tail. From the mint, he is taken to a vault in a bank where he meets lots of other coins. Then he journeys to a wallet, where he is crowded with other bills and coins. The quarter finds his way to a vegetable store, a cash register, and many other stores and wallets. Eventually, he finds his way to a young girl’s piggy bank where he is deposited as she saves for something special. Soon the day will come when the rolling quarter will move again.
The book is a nice introduction to the trail of the money system for young elementary school children. Readers learn how money is made and what happens to it as it is placed in circulation. They find out about the importance of saving. The illustrations are well-done, and the story is easy to read. Recommended for children in kindergarten through third grade.
If you enjoyed reading this post, please subscribe by clicking on the word Follow or by hitting the RSS FEED button in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
September 11, 2019
bamauthor
