A simple title for a book that delivers a lot of value in a picture book. The author employs rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, descriptive adjectives, and sentence building to offer a host of learning opportunities for toddlers and preschoolers.
The words are associated with the colors that represent them, each page adds more text so that as the book unfolds readers repeat and reinforce the learning. At the end of the book a glossary is included to remind young readers exactly what those “hard words” mean.
The female captain is a role model for young girls unaccostumed to seeing females heading up the captain’s job.
This book is one that will be read over and over, each time reinforcing and building upon the learning that has already taken place.
Highly recommended for parents, teachers, and librarians who work with toddlers and preschoolers.
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A beautifully written rhyming picture book that captures the imagination of a child and the adult who reads. it.
A child views time through the days of the week, the months of the year, and its seasons. The lovely color pastels complement the mood of the text perfectly. While all of us never seem to have enough time, seeing the concept envisioned through the eyes of a child is refreshing and perceptive. After reading this tale, the mood felt is restful and calming just like the beautiful illustrations.
Recommended for a child of any age, but I feel adults will enjoy it just as much.
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Schoochie and Skiddles: Schoochie’s Adoption Story
Written by Tom Tracy
Illustrated by Dustin James
Scoochie has been adopted by two men. She understands that her mother needed help in raising her. Scoochie explains the steps in the adoption process and how she feels loved and accepted. The subject is handled in a non-judgmental way that clearly explains the adoption process for children of all ages to understand. Non-traditional families with two dads as the adopters willing to maintain a relationship with birth mother and sister are presented simply and logically so that even the youngest child may grasp the situation. This picture book is part of a series that focuses on the non-traditional family.
I would highly recommend it for all parents, teachers, elementary and middle-school children as a springboard for discussion about both adoption and non-traditional families.
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Title: Writing Prompts For Girls: An “A+ Teacher Design” to motivate girls to write for homeschoolers and teachers. Targeting Grade 1, Grade 2 & Grade 3.
Written by Christine Calabrese
I recently reviewed Writing Prompts For Boys: An A+Teacher Design and you can see my complete review for that book on Amazon.com.
Calabrese recently released this edition for girls and it does an excellent job just like the previous edition for boys. The author selects a wide array of topics like the princess theme, horses, snowy days, music, sports, secrets, and fantasy to name a few of them. She encourages girls to use their “w” words and imagination to write and draw their way to success providing exciting vocabulary, simple rules, and exciting scenarios.
Children see writing as a fun exercise not a laborious chore. This book is perfect for the primary grades but also wonderful for older reluctant readers and writers.
As a former teacher, I would highly recommend these resources to parents and teachers.
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A Christian family talks about how to stay strong while dad is deployed in military service. The older brother and sister help with chores, assist their baby brother and create projects to send dad and keep his spirits up. Though it is difficult for them, they understand the meaning of his sacrifice and are proud of him.
This picture book is recommended as a resource for families in military service.
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What is Supply and Demand?: Personal Finance for Kids
Written by Kelly Lee
Kids love ice cream and cookies. What a creative and fun way to explain the concept of supply and demand to young children!
The author uses animals to explain what happens to the owner of a cookie and ice cream shop when supply and demand change. Ava and Hank are customers who visit the shop in different seasons and note the differences. There are clear explanations and beautiful illustrations.
I especially love that the author makes the book interactive by posing different scenarios for children to think about and offering solutions. Parents are also provided with tips to illustrate supply and demand with their children in everyday situations.
Highly recommended for parents and teachers of children ages three through eight.
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Publisher: Practice Readers Books | ISBN-13: 9781778066702
Publisher’s Synopsis: Letter Sounds Abound is a friendly alphabet book that highlights big ideas about how written language works for preschool and kindergarten children. It focuses on the most common letter-sound relationships while helping children tune in to the fact that letters can make different sounds in different situations to avoid confusion for beginners. The rhyming text makes it fun for parents to read to their children time and again, while simple line drawings inspire imagination without competing for attention with text.
Catherine S. Young has spent her career putting research insights into practice across the spheres of education, public health, and electronics. The proud mother of three delightful developing readers, she founded Practice Readers Books to provide evidence-aligned books to support the unique needs of fledgling readers (and their parents) at school and at home.
Victoria Gesner (Pelletier) is an artist and educator based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She believes in making literacy and art affordable and accessible to all.
A simple tool to teach preschool and kindergarten students to learn and read alphabet sounds and words. The author introduces forty-four sounds and the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Young emphasizes first skills of reading like tracking left to right and following with the finger. Gesner’s illustrations are presented as simple black and white pictures containing the single letters, digraph sounds, and alphabet letters. Children learn how to point out the capital and small letters as they find out about the sounds associated with each. Two sentences on each page rhyme to make reading out loud a fun exercise pleasing to the ear.
This book provides a teaching tool for adults to read as well as for the child to pick up independently as she becomes more confident and proficient in phonetic and reading skills. Certainly, a valuable teaching tool for preschool and early childhood teachers as well as parents.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Letter Sounds Abound, the companion practice book Alphabet Print and Colour, a beginner’s notebook, and a set of alphabet letter magnets!
This book is just what the title says, a guide to positive sentences to put in your mind to help you achieve goals in various areas of your life.
A total of 500 positive sentences you can use to motivate yourself in self-worth, achieving success, developing financial success, health, and wellness, and overall happiness in life.
If you are looking for a convenient reference guide to jumpstart your mood and outlook for the day, this book gives you a plethora of mantras to get you started on a positive mindset.
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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:
Publisher’s Synopsis: Celebrate the life-changing power of art in this inspiring and stunningly illustrated picture book biography of American artist Alma Thomas.
Meet an incredible woman who broke down barriers throughout her whole life and is now known as one of the most preeminent painters of the 20th century. Told from the point of view of young Alma Thomas, readers can follow along as she grows into her discovery of the life-changing power of art.
As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. And her parents filled their home with color and creativity despite the racial injustices they faced. After the family moved to Washington DC, Alma shared her passion for art by teaching children. When she was almost seventy years old, she focused on her own artwork, inspired by nature and space travel.
In this celebration of art and the power of imagination, Jeanne Walker Harvey and Loveis Wise tell the incredible true story of Alma Thomas, the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York City and to have her work chosen for the White House collection. With her bold and vibrant abstract paintings, Alma set the world ablaze with color.
Ablaze with Color includes extensive backmatter with photos, an author’s and illustrator’s note, a timeline, and a list of sources and resources, which will be a great tool for parents, educators, and librarians. Perfect for Women’s History Month and Black History Month units alongside such favorites as Malala’s Magic Pencil, Hidden Figures, andMae Among the Stars.
Jeanne Walker Harvey has been a longtime docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Just like Alma Thomas, Jeanne believes that art brings us joy. Her other picture books include Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines and My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey. Jeanne studied literature and psychology at Stanford University. She lives in Northern California.
Loveis Wise is an illustrator and designer from Washington, DC. They are currently based in Los Angeles and their work often speaks to themes of joy and liberation. Their work can be found through the New Yorker, Google, Adobe, and the New York Times.
Harvey and Wise share the story of the first black woman to have her work exhibited in a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City. Michele Obama chose her Resurrection painting as the first Black woman’s art displayed in the White House.
Alma grew up in segregated Georgia where schools and institutions remained segregated at the time. Her parents countered that by opening their home to books of all sorts and teachers who gave lectures. Alma preferred to be outside absorbing the colors, sights, and sounds of nature.
Alma’s parents moved to Washington, DC as she turned fifteen. Schools and institutions remained closed to black students. As alma matured, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and brought art to students in her home. She organized field trips and encouraged them to display their work.
When Alma retired from teaching, she turned back to creating her own art projects, infusing them with the colors of nature. She grabbed inspiration from the space program of the late sixties. Galleries soon took notice of her brilliant abstract pieces, leading to her solo exhibit and notoriety. The Mayor of Washington, DC proclaimed “Alma Thomas Day,” on September 9, 1972.
The book features stunning illustrations, along with a timeline of Thomas’s life and historical events. Harvey provides references for young readers to satiate their curiosity and expand their knowledge. Highly recommended resource for students and teachers in elementary, middle school, and beyond.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a classroom set of the picture book Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas!
Three (3) winners receive:
A classroom set of Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, autographed and personalized for each student and the teacher by Jeanne Walker Harvey (no more than 30 books per set).
February 22, 2023
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