The author takes a novel approach to breaking bad habits and replacing them with good ones. He talks about mindfulness being used as a technique to figure out what your bad habits are and the techniques you can use to change them.
First, one must discover the triggers for bad habits, why the need for change, and the environment that needs to be adjusted. The author discusses behaviors and rewards and the understanding that one will face both successes and failures in facing them. But by providing rewards for success and not beating ourselves up for failure, there is a way to employ mindfulness to eliminate bad habits and replace them with good ones.
Recommended for readers who are serious about changing habits and are looking for a practical way to succeed.
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Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!
Join us on Friday, Jan 2, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!
This especially fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!
Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO PARTICIPATE IN MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S BOOK DAY SINCE ITS INCEPTION NINE YEARS AGO. HERE IS MY AUTHOR’S REVIEW FOR 2022!
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
To Carnival!
Written by Baptiste Paul
Illustrated by Jana Glatt
Melba lives on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. She feels excited because tomorrow the town will celebrate Carnival. Her Uncle has chosen her idea for his band’s costume. Melba hopes they will win a prize in the parade.
The next morning, Melba hurries to catch the bus into town, but people and things along the route distract her. Will she arrive on time? Her idea might be the winner.
This adorable, multicultural picture book contains beautiful illustrations created in childlike images. It also reinforces the sequence of events told in the tale that enhances a child’s reading comprehension skill. In addition to the charming cultural tale, readers learn about the creole language, customs, and the geography of Saint Lucia.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle-grade students. An excellent choice for parents and teachers to open a discussion of Caribbean language, customs, and traditions.
Looking for more great books, click on the link below:
Illustrated Step-By-Step Baking Cookbook for Kids: 30 easy and delicious recipes
Written and illustrated by Skye Wade
A fun cookbook for kids of any age.
I particularly like the layout and the comprehensive approach. Basic kitchen safety and setting up are tackled first. The recipes are broken down into food groups. You can choose by the amount of time the recipe involves or the type of meal. There is a chart that indicates whether it is appropriate for a picnic, special occasion, or a snack. Readers are given explanations of the common vocabulary used in recipes and the type of equipment needed for different recipes. A rating sheet allows the cook to rate different types of recipes so they can critique their masterpieces.
As the author indicates, younger children should always be supervised by an adult.
The author has a way with words. Sullivan has succeeded in telling 100 stories about history, science, art, and culture and with wit and charm. Young readers will be intrigued by topics like ghosts, curses, snakes, space, and vampires. Each story reveals an adventure and interesting facts. Black and white illustrations accompany many of the chapters. Young readers unwittingly learn a lot while they are laughing and having a great time reading.
This is a book they will want to share with friends and family. Targeting the middle-grade audience ages nine through fourteen, but any age reader will enjoy and appreciate these gems.
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This book is a sampler of the full recipe book. It contains twelve recipes of the types of food kids absolutely love. These recipes include a unique spin on favorites like tacos, grilled cheese, and hot dogs.
Children will want to try grilled cheese on a waffle iron, taco mac and cheese, and unique recipes for chicken nuggets and Big Macs. Perhaps you can entice them to stir up the mix and match healthy grain bowls.
These are perfect for late elementary grade and middle-grade students. A nice way to set up a family cooking project teaching session. The authors have come up with a clever marketing technique. Many purchasers will want to buy the entire cookbook with 100 recipes.
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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: The newest Game On! Awesome Activities for Clever Kids title, this activity book has dozens of new and challenging brain games for ages 8 to 12. More than 100 colorful puzzles feature the excitement and adventure of the United States, including crosswords, secret codes, word scrambles, spot the differences, mazes, and much more. It’s the perfect book for at home or on the go, and the fun starts with just a pencil — no electricity or batteries needed! Complete solutions appear at the end of the book.
Patrick Merrell is a professional puzzlemaker, cartoonist, writer, illustrator, and graphic designer. He’s one of MAD magazine’s “Usual Gang of Idiots.” He’s created over 250 books, including 75 puzzle books, and written 81 crosswords for The New York Times (including 19 Sundays). Six of his Times crosswords appear in Will Shortz Picks His Favorite Puzzles, the most of any constructor. From 2009 to 2011, he wrote for Wordplay, the daily online crossword column for The New York Times. He’s also created puzzles for the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, People, Sports Illustrated, MAD, National Wildlife Foundation, Crayola, Scholastic, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the World Puzzle Championship, and many, many others.
MY REVIEW OF THE BOOK
IT’S A PUZZLEMENT…
Game On! USA! Awesome Activities for Clever Kids
Designed by Patrick Merrell
This is book three in the Game on series targeted for students in grades three to six or ages eight through twelve. It contains 144 pages of puzzles accompanied by coloring illustrations that cover a wide variety of subjects. While the focus is placed on the USA, the book’s puzzles develop visual acuity skills, math skills, vocabulary, and fine motor development.
I would use it as a go to on those rainy days when the children are bored or as a learning resource while traveling across country in the car or on the airplane. Some of the puzzles are easier and will appeal to younger children, while the coding and crosswords could be a shared activity among younger and older siblings.
Only a pencil and a good imagination are required. Ditch the electronics and go back to paper and pencil brain enrichment.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of three Game On! Awesome Activities for Kids books!
Three (3) winners receive:
A copy of Game On! Awesome Activities for Clever Kids
A copy of Game On! MORE Awesome Activities for Clever Kids
A copy of Game On! USA: Awesome Activities for Clever Kids
The giveaway begins May 31, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 30, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
This well-written and organized book is a wonderful way to introduce elementary and middle-grade readers to the world of chemistry. Wissinger offers simple explanations with appropriate illustrations making the content clear and easy to comprehend.
The short book packs a ton of information in forty pages. Young scientists learn about matter, elements, atoms, DNA, X-rays, chemical reactions, the periodic table, and so much more. There is a brief history of the contributions by women in chemistry going way back to Cleopatra. The glossary adds additional information to explore. The tone is positive encouraging the young reader to embrace scientific exploration.
I am looking forward to reading more books in this new nonfiction science exploration series.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me an ARC to review, which I voluntarily chose to read and review with my honest opinions for no compensation.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Hi! I am Great White Shark, and if you get this book, you’ll read all about ME–the greatest shark in the sea!
Not so fast! Greenland Shark here, and as the oldest shark in this book, that makes me the greatest.
Did someone say fast? I’m Mako Shark, and I’m the fastest shark in this book! Eat my bubbles!
Wow, I’m Hammerhead Shark. You don’t need my special eyes to see that there are lots of great sharks in this book. Sink your teeth into it now!
New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub makes a splash with bestselling illustrator Laurie Keller to deliver an entertaining undersea story that encourages self-acceptance and self-esteem, and is filled with humor and the greatest shark facts in the ocean!
The Great White Shark introduces himself as the greatest shark in this book. Not so fast, he has some serious competition. In this superbly illustrated picture book, readers learn about which sharks claim to be the biggest, smallest, oldest, fastest, sneakiest, smartest, and brightest shark of all. Does it really matter? Like all the sharks, each of us is unique and has some special quality to offer the world.
Holub has packed an amazing amount of information about sharks and their world in this forty-eight-page picture book. The layout features gorgeous, vibrant illustrations with easy-to-read text. In addition, there are detailed diagrams and charts that will provide a plethora of knowledge about the shark world. There is also a list of resources for older readers to continue their research about sharks.
I highly recommend this book for shark lovers of all ages from age four to ninety-four.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win an I Am the Shark prize pack!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A hardcover copy of I Am the Shark, autographed by Joan Holub
A child-size shark print art/cooking apron
A $50 Target gift card
Two (2) winners receive:
A hardcover copy of I AM THE SHARK, autographed by Joan Holub
The giveaway begins March 26, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends April 26, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
Food Network Magazine The Big, Fun Kids Baking Book Free 14-Recipe Sampler!
Provided by Food Network Magazine
This recipe sampler is the perfect way to entice budding young chefs into the kitchen. They are the types of foods that children are interested in eating so they will be attracted to baking them. Muffins, brownies, cakes, and cupcakes are definitely favorites among this age group. Perfect choice for middle-grade readers who can read and follow these recipes independently or to use as a family project to involve all the members of a family working together.
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January 30, 2022
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