April 30th....last day of International Poetry Month...goodbye

Hi everyone.  Yes, sadly it is the last day of Poetry Month and I am going to give you a smorgasborg of poetry fun.  First though let me give you the answer to yesterday's book quote.  The excerpt came from the book,  "Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book #2: Amedlia Bedelia Unleashed. " by Herman Parish.

Today's quote is:

                                                      "My dad and I live in an airport."




Here are two poems that will get your smiling ....

Books and Me
by
Pat Mora

We belong
together,
books and me,
like toast and jelly
o queso y tortillas.
Delicious! ¡Delicioso!
Like flowers and bees,
birds and trees,
books and me.

©2009 Pat Mora. All rights reserved.

---

Walking
by 
Walter Dean Myers

How come my feet know how to meet
The sidewalk as I walk?
          “Because of your brain, my love.”
How come my lips don’t ever slip
As I begin to talk?
          “Your lovely brain, my pet”
How come my knees fly through the breeze
As I race along?
          “Did I mention your B-R-A-I-N?”
How come my ears know what to hear
When I listen to a song?
          “They’re connected to your brain!”
How come my eyes can judge the size
Of everything they see?
          “Your brain, dummy!”
How come my wrists know how to twist
A knob or turn a key?
          “BRAIN! BRAIN! BRAIN! Use it!”
And how come my belly button just sits there in the middle of my stomach without doing one little bit of work, gets these little lint things in it, and feels funny if I touch it?

          “Err…beats me.”

© Walter Dean Myers. All rights reserved.


Featured book of the day:

Title:  Love That Dog

Author: Sharon Creech

About the author:

Sharon Creech is the Newbery-Medal winning author of Walk Two Moons, and the Newbery Honor winning author of The Wanderer. Her other works include Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, Pleasing the Ghost, Love That Dog, and Ruby Holler.

In Her Own Words:

Many readers ask me where I get my ideas. This is probably the hardest question to answer, because a book contains hundreds, maybe thousands, of ideas, squirming and changing and evolving as I write. I don't know the story before I begin. I only have a vague image in my mind of a character and a place. Then I write in order to find out what the story is. I want to know why the character is in this place and what is happening now, what happened before, and what will happen later.

Sometimes people and events in my “real life” spark ideas for stories. In Absolutely Normal Chaos for example, Mary Lou's family is very much like my own family. Like Mary Lou, I have a sister and three brothers (my brothers' names are the same as those in the book), and when I was Mary Lou's age, my cousin came to live with us, but none of the things that happen to Mary Lou's cousin happened to my own cousin. In Walk Two Moons, the trip that Salamanca takes with Gram and Gramps follows the same route that I took with my family when I was Sal's age, but we weren't searching for my mother (she was in the car with us) and we didn't face the danger and difficulties that Salamanca does.

The fictional town of Bybanks appears in many of my stories. Bybanks is based on the real town of Quincy, Kentucky, where my cousins live on a farm, and where I spent many wild days as a child, running through the hills. Other real-life sparks include: My father, Arvel, was the inspiration for Uncle Arvie in Pleasing the Ghost, and the two years that I lived in Switzerland sparked some of the ideas in Bloomability. A trip that my daughter took, sailing across the Atlantic when she graduated from college, inspired The Wanderer.

I am also often asked if I am going to write sequels. Most of my books are already related to each other, though not exactly sequels. You will find familiar characters and places popping up all over. I suspect that this will continue to happen in future books, because each book I finish seems to leave threads with me that I want to pick up again when I start a new story.

I love to hear about my readers' families and interests, and many readers ask about my family and my interests. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and later lived in Washington, D.C., and later still spent twenty years in England and Switzerland. My two children (a son and a daughter) are now grown and living in the U.S. and my husband and I have also returned to the U.S. We live at the Pennington School, where my husband is the headmaster, in New Jersey. We have no pets because we travel so much. Some things I enjoy doing are reading, kayaking, swimming, and cross-country skiing. When I was young, my two favorite things to do were to climb trees and ride my bike.

I hope you take many “walks” with many characters and that you will enjoy the worlds they take you to.

Visit Sharon Creech's website!

Education: Hiram College, George Mason University

A bit about the book:

This book is written in free verse in a diary format.  It is presented from a young boy's view who resists poetry assignments from his teacher.  His name is Jack and he hates poetry because he thinks it is for girls and his brain feels empty. His wise teacher Ms. Stretchberry doesn't give up and just keeps handing out poetry assignments to her class.  Jack has to respond because assignments are mandatory, and then a beautiful thing happens.  The more he write poems the more he realizes that maybe they are not so bad after all.  Constantly writing he discovers he does have something to say and when his words are all typed up on yellow paper....man, they look mighty fine indeed and he feels very, very proud of himself and exuberantly happy.  

Written with heart, Sharon Creech inspires through Jack that you can find your voice, you can unleash new creative ideas and skills that are buried deep inside of you and best of all you can have great fun doing it.  Yes you can..... before you say you can't .... at least give it a try before you give it up.

                                                      Book Review Rating:  8 (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Have a great day.  

Roald DAHL -Dirty Beasts -The Tummy Beast (+playlist)

Book Trailer - Love That Dog

Pesky Mouse.....Better run!

Hi everyone.  Nice you dropped in for a visit with me today.  Today I am going to take you on a trip down memory lane with two characters that you may already be familiar with.  Do you remember those Saturday mornings when cartoons were blasting from the t.v. set and on came the infamous duo, Tom and Jerry?   A cat and mouse that kept the action going and were pure entertainment.  Their slapstick comedy antics kept you roaring hysterically and rolling on the floor.   My book choice today, I am happy to report, are bringing these two friends back into the limelight for a whole new generation to discover and enjoy.  First though, here is the answer to yesterday's book excerpt....

                          " The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Today's quote for you to puzzle over is....

    "It certainly seemed like it was going to another normal evening at Amelia Bedilia's house."

Title: There's A Mouse Hiding In This Book!

Author: Benjamin Bird

Illustrator:  Carmen Pérez







A peek inside.....

About the book:

"Look. That no-good mouse Jerry is ruining my book."  Come on, help me catch him."  That invitation is a call to action to anyone reading the book.  The messy, wet, blue paint footprints left by Jerry, the mouse is ruining Tom's book and ruining his fen shway. This hysterically funny book will have kids engaged in the capture of the pesky rodent and have them wanting more and more.  The colourful word bubbles are filled with instructions to aid the kids in the tracking and apprehension of the little mouse: count to three and turn the page as fast as you can, shut your eyes and listen closely, turn the page slowly, shake the book, blow on the page and so on.  The concept is simple and the illustrations are packed full of antics and expressions that will certainly appeal to the young readers.  This interactive book has a wonderful surprise on each page and is perfect for story time.

This book is part of a series.  The previous books are:

*A Cat Is Chasing Me Through This Book
*Don't Give This Book A Bowl Of Milk
*This Book Is Not A Piece Of Cheese!

                                                    Book Review Rating:   8  (Fantastic!)

                                 Read on and read always!  Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good dog....we all want one of those don't we?

Hi everyone.  I hope your weekend was amazing and you are ready for another week of book reviews that may just peek your interest and have you checking them out.  First though, let's try to guess what book title and author this excerpt is from.....

                   "The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world."

Answer to Friday's book is : "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.


Today's featured book:

Title:  The Good Dog

Author:  Todd Kessler

Illustrator:  Jennifer Gray Olsen

What's it all about in a nutshell:

Little Ricky Lee was out riding his bike one day and as he whizzed down a decline he spotted a box spilled open at the side of the road.  He took a peek inside and to his delight he discovered a tiny puppy that had been abandoned. He then did what every good kid on the planet would do.... he scooped him up and he claimed that little stray canine for his very own. He gently tucked him inside his jacket and whisked him home thinking along the way of all the possible names that would suit his adorable little find.  After being granted to keep the pup by his parents he landed on the name Tako.  His parents only had one condition for Ricky.....Tako always had to be a good dog.  Tako was so happy and grateful because now he had a family that loved and would take care of him.  It is hard though to be good all the time when there are such interesting things around to distract you and tempt you away from "good."  Overall though Tako was a very, very good little dog.

The Lee family decided to move and buy a family bakery in the heart of their town. They were in competition with Mr. Prichard, a hard-hearted, greedy slime-ball who sold stale, crusty baked goods.  The Lee's made fresh, tasty delicacies daily and their place swarmed with customers who delighted in their baking. Mr. Prichard was not a happy camper because he wanted all the customers, all the money and all the notoriety to himself.  Being a low-down scoundrel he decided to fight dirty and sabotage the Lee family's business once and for all and to keep all the spoils in the town for himself.  He came up with many hair-brained schemes to destroy the credibility of the Lee's business.  One fateful night he was discovered by none other than Tako who heard a noise downstairs and came to investigate .  Tako had to make a decision that might cost him the comfort of the very home he had always longed for and now truly loved.  Should he risk his own well-being and security to save the very family and life he loved most of all?  Sometimes even really good dogs have to break bad to become a super hero and save the day. You will be cheering this little guy on and very delighted with the outcome.

About the author:

Philosophy behind the format:

When Todd Kessler began Blue’s Clues, the prevailing “wisdom” was that children had short attention spans and would never sit still for a continuous half-hour narrative. Instead, he believed that kids would happily engage in a long-form television program if the story and characters were compelling enough to hold their attention. Blues Clues’ international success proved his theory. The Good Dog aims to apply the same concept to publishing for young children. The prevailing “wisdom” in that industry is that longer format books will not hold a young child’s attention. Once again Todd believes that we are underestimating the intelligence of our children and their thirst for richer, more challenging stories.

Philosophy behind the story structure:

The Good Dog utilizes a “layered” approach to storytelling. The primary layer is an archetypal struggle between good and greed which even the youngest children can grasp. But also included is the complex moral theme, aimed at older children, that deals with the idea that a person might disguise his greedy/evil intent with a false front of generosity. Finally, the deepest layer of the story is the presentation of the question: Is it sometimes okay to use your own judgment and break the rules? Through these levels of understanding, The Good Dog tells a story which can appeal to children of varying ages.

Todd Kessler is the co-creator and show runner of the highly successful children’s television series “Blue’s Clues”. A signature of Todd’s work is that it has always been developed with the input of actual children (and sometimes dogs and cats too). His artistic and innovative creations have garnered him the prestigious Peabody Award, seven Emmy nominations, two Television Critics Association awards, five Parent’s Choice awards, first place in the children’s division of the Toronto International Film Festival, and a New York Film Festival Cine Golden Eagle. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife.

About the illustrator:

Jennifer Gray Olson is a children's book author and illustrator based in Southern California.  Her love of creating entertaining characters and the worlds in which they live led her into illustrating.  Her work is created through a combination of ink and watercolor.  She lives in Corona, Ca with her husband, three children, and too many pets.

Represented by Kerry Sparks of Levine Greenberg literary agency. 
ksparks@levinegreenberg.com.

                                                     Book Review Rating:  8 (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Have a great day everyone!

Good day to you

Off to a writing workshop my morning so will be posting again soon! Have a wonderful day everyone no matter where you reside in this beautiful world of ours!!! Read on and read always!!!  Any time or any day is the perfect time to read to your kids or catch up on your own personal reading.  Enjoy your day!

Jack the Castaway - a book review

Hi!  Glad you dropped by today for a visit with me.  The answer to yesterday's quote is:
                                "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl.




Today's quote for you to try and figure out is:

                                                         "The primroses were over. "

                            Do you know the book title and who authored it?  Fun to find out.

Title"  Jack The Castaway

Author:  Lisa Doan

Illustrator:  Ivica Stenanovic

Ages:  8-12

What others are saying about the book

School Library Journal:

"The story is a well-written debut novel and an introduction to a fun cast of characters and a series certain to be full of adventure. Pencil illustrations bring life to Jack and all of the craziness he and his family experience. This will likely entertain even the most reluctant of readers." 

Booklist:

"In Doan’s entertaining debut, Jack’s misadventures begin once his absentee parents show up and whisk him off to the Caribbean. A sensible 11-year-old, Jack would much rather stay in Pennsylvania than risk his life on one of his parents’ dangerous get-rich-quick schemes." 

Publisher's Weekly:

"Launching the Berenson Schemes series, Doan’s debut novel pits cautious Jack Berenson against his reckless parents with uproarious results." 

Children's Literature:

"Doan’s initial offing in “The Berenson Schemes” series is a fun romp through the ‘rustic’ Caribbean. This installment will hold the interest of most readers and is a terrific choice for book reports as well as leisure reading." 

Kirkus:

"Readers will be charmed by Jack, whose flair for checklists and self-preservation is both humorous and endearing." 

Brent Hartinger, author of The Geography Club:

"Jack takes life seriously -- sometimes too seriously. His parents don't take life seriously at all. The result is Lisa Doan's very fun and funny comedy of errors, JACK THE CASTAWAY. 

Margaret Nevinski, author of The Eve of St. Agnes and Floating:

"If you want to laugh until your sides hurt, rush out and find a copy of Jack the Castaway by Lisa Doan."

My two cents worth for you:

Jack is a very responsible, sensible, eleven year old who lives with his Aunt Julia, until she passes away by getting hit by a bus.  His biological parents are irresponsible, scattered globe-trotters who are coming back to claim him and try to integrate him into their care-free lifestyle.  You see his parents have been chased out of Tokyo, gone broke in Greece, and hosted Nairobi's lease successful safari.  But do not fret they have a brand new get-rich scheme which means moving to the Caribbean and inventing a new sport called "drift snorkelling" that the tourists will be enamoured by and they want Jack to join them in their newest escapade.  Jack hesitantly goes with them because he knows exactly what they are like and fears for his educational future and his very life.  Once in the Caribbean he is put in charge of driving the boat (which he knows nothing about) and sadly becomes the brunt of his parent's negligence because they forget to fill the gas tank of the boat with fuel. Jack is stranded and drifts away in the Caribbean Sea only to land on a deserted island.  He is not alone because Loco, a parrot keeps him company with a very limited vocabulary, and together they have to learn how to survive and ultimately how to get back to civilization with very little help from his parents.  

Jack takes life very seriously and through planning and check-lists and foresight discovers he has the gift of self-preservation despite the lack of any common sense his parents may or may not possess.  Luckily they become a much stronger family unit when Jack passes his knowledge and wisdom onto his parents who receive it graciously from their son. 

Doan's debut novel is well written and entertaining. The Berenson's Schemes series will be a great one to watch unfold and I am sure will be an amazing hit with the kids ages 8-12.  The pencil illustrations are just brilliant and are a great asset to the printed text.  I highly recommend this book and am sure the following books in the series will be equally as great. 

About the author:

Lisa Doan received a master'[s degree in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. As a professional vagabond, she has traveled extensively through Africa and Asia and lived on a Caribbean island for eight years. Her variety of professions have included Master Scuba Diving Instructor, New York City headhunter, Owner/Chef of a Chinese restaurant, television show Set Medic and Deputy Prothonotary of a county court. She wrote her first book during a Caribbean slow season while waiting for restaurant customers. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with a Great Dane who stares her down for biscuits.

About the illustrator:

Ivica Stevanovic(1977) is illustrator, comic artist and graphic designer. He has published more than a thousand illustrations in schoolbooks and picture books. Ivica draws comics, and his specialty is graphic novels. His best-known graphic novel is Kindly Corpses. He works as a professor at the Art Academy in Novi Sad (Serbia), the Department of Graphic communication. He teaches two subjects – Graphic books and Comics. To see more Ivica's work go to http://www.behance.net/IvicaStevanovic

More of his illustrations although not from this book:

Book Review Rating:  8  (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Have an fantastic day everyone!

Jack the Castaway

Do you have a dinosaur hanging around your house?

Hi everyone.  Here is the new quote for you to guess today. Do you know the book and which author is responsible for it?

                       "These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket."

I will give you the answer tomorrow.  Good luck.

Title:  If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur 

Author:  Linda Bailey

Illustrator:  Colin Jack

About the book:

This fun, quirky book is a delight to read and ponder.  What would you do if you happen to have a dinosaur hanging around your house?  Well they can come in very handy and you can weave them into the very fabric of your life.  For instance, they make the perfect can opener, or baby sitter,  or a coffee or nut grinder, or the best burglar alarm on the block.  They can mow your lawn, be your personal snowplow or are perfect as a slide at the pool.  How impressive they look to the neighbours as they go about doing their tasks.  The possibilities of things they can do are endless and they seem to be very obliging and happy to help you out in any way they can.  Dinosaurs can certainly make your life easier and a way, way more fun.  Some of the things you ask them to do may require some close supervision because anything involving food can get them into trouble as they love to munch all of the food and truly are bottomless pits.  No dinosaur? No problem.....pick an animal....any animal and and find out what creative things that they can do for you.  The sky's the limit so let no animal or flying creature be ruled out.

About the author:

I was born and grew up in Winnipeg.  In my twenties, I traveled around the world, mostly by ship, working in England and Australia. Then I moved to Vancouver, where I earned a B.A. and an M.Ed. at the University of British Columbia.  Vancouver is really beautiful.  I still live here, a five-minute walk from the ocean. I'm an ex-college teacher, an ex-editor, an ex-travel agent and . . .

Now I'm the author of more than twenty books for kids.  Best known are the Stevie Diamond mystery series, the Good Times Travel Agency adventures, and the picture books about Stanley the dog, illustrated by Bill Slavin.  Many of my books have now travelled around the world — just like me.

About the illustrator:

Colin is a story artist At Dreamworks Animation and A Children's book illustrator working in the Bay area. The illustrations for this book are the best.  They are fun, expressive and so creative.  They certainly are kid illustrations at their best.  Loved, loved, loved them.

Book Review Rating:  8 (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Go seek out your dinosaur that is moping around your house, get busy and  together have some fun.

Healthy Choices, Happy Kids - book review

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Here is the today's book quote for you to guess both the author and the book:

                       "These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket."



Today's featured book is....

Title:  Healthy Choices, Happy Kids: 

Making Good Choices with Every Day Care

Authors: Foster W. Cline, M.D., Lisa C. Greene and Gina L. May

Illustrator:  Dona Vajgand

What's in this book?

I think you will find this book very beneficial to the overall choices that your child makes concerning her health and the consequences if the choices are not good.  Every child when left to make decisions on her own regarding eating the right foods, when and how to brush her teeth, the importance of hand washing, the receiving of medicine if she is sick (usually depending on the taste), the desire to take a bath or shower or even putting down the electronic games and getting outside for fresh air and exercise needs to know the consequences of those decisions.  This picture book was penned to give caregivers a guide and a means of encouragement to help their child understand what may happen if you do not make good choices regarding your overall well being.  The illustrations are fun and kid-friendly making the reader identify with the characters and engage in the truth of the book's message.   Included in the book is a hidden frog on each page which makes the book a fun and interactive read.  Our  children's health is very important and we, as adults, want to give them tools to be empowered and to look after themselves starting from a very early age so they can live a long, wholesome life and be the best that they can be.

About the author:

Co-Founder, The Love and Logic Institute
Adult and child psychiatrist

Specialist in:

• Attachment and bonding in children
• The gifted and talented child
• Parenting and child management
• Classroom behavior management
• Communication systems and patterns

Dr. Foster W. Cline is an internationally renowned child and adult psychiatrist, as well as the co-author of Parenting with Love and Logic. His love of children and passion for changing lives give him a unique sense of clarity as he turns difficult and often confusing child development concepts into straight talk and answers for adults. He has served as a consultant to school systems, pupil personnel teams, and hospitals around the world. Dr. Foster W. Cline also is a grandparent, as well as the father of three biological children, one adopted child, and several foster children.

Books, videos, and audios by Dr. Foster W. Cline include:

• "Allowing Kids to Choose Success"
• "Avoiding Power Struggles with Kids: Featuring Jim Fay's Science of Control"
• "Childhood Lying, Stealing and Cheating"
• "Daring to Parent"
• "Grandparenting with Love and Logic: Practical Solutions to Today's Grandparenting Challenges"
• "Grief, Trauma, and Loss: Helping Children Cope"
• "Helping Kids Face Today's World"
• "Marriage - Love and Logic"
• "Meeting the Challenge: Using Love and Logic to Help Children Develop Attention and Behavior Skills"
• "Parenting Children with Health Issues: Essential Tools, Tips and Tactics for Raising Kids with Chronic Illness, Medical Conditions and Special Healthcare Needs"
• "Parenting Doesn't Have To Be Rocket Science: Teach Kids Good Choices"
• "Parenting Teens with Love and Logic: Preparing Adolescents for Responsible Adulthood"
• "Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility"
• "Taking the Stress out of Raising Great Kids: Journal Collection Years 1995 to 2000"
• "The Love and Logic Tenth Anniversary Journal Collection
• "The Pearls of Love and Logic for Parents and Teachers"
• "Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers: Love and Logic Parenting for Early Childhood, Six Months to Five Years"
• "Trouble-Free Teens: Smart suggestions for Parenting Your Pre-Teen"
• "Uncontrollable Kids: From Heartbreak to Hope"
• "Winning the Homework Battle: Helping Children Discover and Celebrate Their Strengths"
• "Winning with Diabetes: Tools, Tips and Tactics for Raising Healthier K

   Book Review Rating:  8 (Fantastic!)

Read on and read always!  Make wise choices and have a great day everyone.