Bonnie Ferrante's Blog, page 31
June 3, 2017
Elephant Wind by Heather L. Beal. Illustrated by Jubayda Sagor. Book Review.
Elephant Wind is a book about safety during a tornado. It is written to reassure and inform young children of what to do when a tornado warning sounds. The book features a class of children that are illustrated as various animals in much the same style as Warner Bros. earlier cartoons. The teacher seems … Continue reading Elephant Wind by Heather L. Beal. Illustrated by Jubayda Sagor. Book Review.
June 2, 2017
Celebrate the Big 150 in Style
. It’s not too late to order that special shirt or hat. http://www.cafepress.com/bonnieferran... Celebrate Canada Day in style! Patriotic & unique clothing. Various designs. and lots more.
Optimists Die First – Life Ahead: Proceed with Caution by Susin Nielsen.
This is a deeply engaging young adult book. 17-year-old Petula De Wilde is plagued with guilt over her accidental contribution to her baby sister’s death. In addition, she has become obsessed with the idea that anything less than constant vigilance can result in tragedy, leaving her parents with no children at all. As a … Continue reading Optimists Die First – Life Ahead: Proceed with Caution by Susin Nielsen.
June 1, 2017
The Origin of the Great Bear and Lesser Bear Constellations
If you have a child who is interested in the stars, point them to this video. If you’re teaching ancient Greece to an elementary class, this may be helpful. If you like to share legends from different cultures, this video may interest you as well. The script is below. You are free to use it … Continue reading The Origin of the Great Bear and Lesser Bear Constellations
May 31, 2017
Author Darren Groth Three Random Questions Interview
Darren Groth writes powerful and insightful young adult novels. His work has won several prestigious awards and has been a finalist for the coveted Governor General’s Literary Awards in Canada. Bonnie Ferrante: Welcome Darren. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to interview you. Darren Groth: Thanks, Bonnie. Great to be with you. Ferrante: You … Continue reading Author Darren Groth Three Random Questions Interview
May 30, 2017
A B C Doctor: Staying Healthy from A to C by Harriet Ziefert. Illustrations by Liz Murphy. Book Review.
This is the type of book you would use with a child to prepare them for going to the doctor. The alphabet is incidental. The first page says “A for appointment. Doctors are very busy people. If you need to see the doctor, you have to make an appointment before you go. In an emergency, … Continue reading A B C Doctor: Staying Healthy from A to C by Harriet Ziefert. Illustrations by Liz Murphy. Book Review.
May 29, 2017
P is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet by Steven L. Layne and Deborah Dover Layne. Illustrated by Robert and Lisa Papp. Book Review.
Sleeping Bear Press has numerous alphabet books with the same style. There is a four line poem about the featured letter superimposed on a full-color glossy picture. There is an accompanying text bar down the side. I have favorably reviewed some of these books. I picked up this one because my granddaughter is Princess crazy … Continue reading P is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet by Steven L. Layne and Deborah Dover Layne. Illustrated by Robert and Lisa Papp. Book Review.
May 28, 2017
Marital Negotiations – Recycled Sundays
With spring comes the sound of wedding bells. The following is a list of hints for young wives-to-be. No, they aren’t all from my marriage. In fact at the moment, my husband cooks more often than I do. This is by popular demand since, “Mommy makes weird stuff like tofu guck and puts vegetables in … Continue reading Marital Negotiations – Recycled Sundays
May 27, 2017
They’re Recycling Aliens, Sequel to Ants in Space by G J Griffiths. Book Review.
The first thing that struck me about this book was the amazing illustrations. The second thing was that the author began the story by writing in the passive verb tense. Action stories, and I assume this is one, should always be written using active verbs. You want the reader to feel that the story is … Continue reading They’re Recycling Aliens, Sequel to Ants in Space by G J Griffiths. Book Review.
May 26, 2017
1 2 3 Versus A B C by Mike Boldt.
This silly book begins with the number one saying, “Hello! I’m so glad you chose to read this book about numbers!” Traveling in the other direction, the capital A says, “Hi! I’m so happy you chose to read this book about letters.” What begins with a friendly disagreement quickly draws in the entire alphabet … Continue reading 1 2 3 Versus A B C by Mike Boldt.
