Thursday, March 27, 2014

Out of the mouths of babes...and some adults too


A riddle for you today......

"What word in the English language has three consecutive double letters?"
                                           (answer embedded in the blog somewhere.....can you find it)




Title:  My Mouth is a Volcano
Author:  Julia Cook
Illustrator: Carrie Hartman




Louis is a smart kid with a voracious aptitude of unleashing his pent-up, repressed thoughts at the most inopportune times.  Whether at school or at home his mind wanders to other things while those around him are speaking. His words start to wiggle, then they jiggle, then his tongue pushes all his important words against his teeth and he erupts....just like a volcano...spewing forth wordage to the entire world. His interruptions often cause him to require time out or be sent to his room.  Then one day Louis has to speak in front of his class and it's there he learns first hand what it feels like to be interrupted and cut-off by his fellow peers right in the middle of his dissertation.  From that day forth he has a new perspective on barging in when someone else is trying to talk. When that happens to him at school he feels those interjecting are very rude and insensitive indeed and stole his moment of fame away from him.

This book is witty, expressive and a good learning tool to teach children how to control their emotions. The illustrations are amazing, capturing the message of the book perfectly.  The nice thing is that Louis gets a plan from his mom as to how he can implement a simple technique for the future  that will help him focus and not be known as "the great interrupter." This would be a great book to read aloud the first week of school or at bedtime if you have a little "butt-er inner" living in your midst at home.  This is a valuable lesson to teach children (and some adults need this lesson too) regarding respectfully waiting your turn and being respectful of what others are saying. Listening is becoming a lost art in our world and we all need to be reminded to sit quietly, listen up to what others are saying and then, ......it's our turn. I highly recommend this book.










About the author:




Julia Cook was born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah. While living in Utah, she became actively involved in teaching children how to ski. That experience led to a love of teaching in general.
Julia now lives in Fremont, Nebraska. She has a Master’s degree in Elementary School Counseling. While serving as a guidance counselor, Julia often used children’s books to enhance her classroom lessons. She is now nationally recognized as an award-winning children’s book author and parenting expert.
Julia has presented in more than 800 schools across the country, regularly delivers keynote addresses at education and counseling conferences, and has published more than three dozen children’s books. The goal behind all of Julia’s books and efforts is to actively involve young people into her fun and creative stories and teach them to become life-long problem solvers.
Inspirations for her books come from working with children and listening carefully to parents and teachers. Julia’s books have been referenced in such publications as Parent’s Magazine, The New Yorker, Green Child Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Yahoo.com, DrLaura.com and BabyZone.com has. She has also been featured on CNN’s HLN News, and several large metropolitan networks.
In her spare time, Julia enjoys spending time with her husband and family.

About the illustrator:
                  bookkeeper


GenderFemale
IndustryArts
OccupationIllustrator - Author - College Instructor
LocationWoodbury, MN, United States
IntroductionI am a freelance illustrator and instructor at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. My work includes illustrating picture books, editorial work, character development, animated projects, advertising, posters, greeting cards, and whatever else comes my way.




Book Review Rating:  8  (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Have a great day.

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