Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 77
March 2, 2015
Happy Read Across America Day! Oh The Place’s We’ve Gone
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child.”
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss. I’ve always felt him to be a personal friend. Green Eggs and Ham was the first book I ever read, well recite. I probably could recite it before I could read it.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go when you read! March 2, 2015 is NEA’s Read Across America Day and this year, the book is the Seuss classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go.
NEA’s Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
A Look At Our Friend Dr. Seuss
Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped millions of children learn to read.
Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1925, he went to Oxford University, intending to acquire a doctorate in literature. At Oxford, Geisel met Helen Palmer, whom he wed in 1927. Upon his return to America later that year, Geisel published cartoons and humorous articles for Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time. His cartoons also appeared in major magazines such as Life, Vanity Fair, and Liberty. Geisel gained national exposure when he won an advertising contract for an insecticide called Flit. He coined the phrase, “Quick, Henry, the Flit!” which became a popular expression.
Geisel developed the idea for his first children’s book in 1936 while on a vacation cruise. The rhythm of the ship’s engine drove the cadence to And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.
During World War II, Geisel joined the Army and was sent to Hollywood where he wrote documentaries for the military. During this time, he also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which won him an Oscar.
The Cat in the Hat Is Born
In May of 1954, Life published a report on illiteracy among schoolchildren, suggesting that children were having trouble reading because their books were boring. This problem inspired Geisel’s publisher, prompting him to send Geisel a list of 400 words he felt were important for children to learn. The publisher asked Geisel to cut the list to 250 words and use them to write an entertaining children’s book. Nine months later, Geisel, using 225 of the words given to him, published The Cat in the Hat, which brought instant success.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Geisel authored and illustrated 44 children’s books. His enchanting stories are available as audio cassettes, animated television specials, and videos.
While Theodor Geisel died on September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss lives on, inspiring generations of children of all ages to explore the joys of reading.
(Courtesy of Random House)
Oh,The Places We’ve Been
We do a whole lot of global reading around here as well as take some incredible reading adventures. To celebrate one of our favorite authors today we’re reading around the world and sharing all the places we’ve been. Here are some of our most popular book reviews and book jumps that have taken us all over the world.
So read loud, read strong but mostly Read together Across America!!! Or a very special place of your choosing. Happy Read Across America Day
READY GO! #readyourworld #readacrossamerica
Take the pledge http://www.nea.org/grants/ReadAcrossAmericaPledge.html
More info from NEA about Read Across America http://www.nea.org/grants/886.htm
Read Aloud.org launches their big campaign too this month Join us! http://www.readaloud.org/
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March 1, 2015
Weekend Links: Lots of Kidlit Book Goodness
Welcome to Weekend Links! As usual I have encountered some pretty amazing book-related articles, programs and links that I want to share with my book-loving readers.Enjoy!
CCBC Stats Show Children’s Books Shifting Toward Diversity @publisher’s weekly
Want to learn how to change your family’s life in just 20 minutes a week? It’s easier than you think! Change Your Family’s Life in 20 Minutes Each Week @Scholastic Parents.
My beloved Head Elf and Virtual Assistant Becky shared with me that she personally thought Big Hero 6 was the best kids movie that she’d seen awhile (she also said she would love her own personal Baymax). Here’s another person, and more reasons to love Big Hero 6: INTERVIEW: Big Hero 6 Producer Roy Conli Talks About Multiculturalism and Cool Nerds.
What Do Muslims Really Want Anyway?! 17 Books on Muslim World for Kids via @PragmaticMom
Are you a new author or an existing author with published works you need help promoting? I was fortunate enough to find some really good articles this week about that very topic:
Book Marketing 101: Five Things to Do Before Your Book is Released via LEE and LOW
How Successful Authors Use Social Media to Sell More Books – The Write Life
Is Social Media a Good Thing for Writers? (Pros, Cons and My Tips)
By now, many of you know that our much-anticipated Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is HERE! Not only is it here, it’s been selling like hotcakes!
Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is perfect for homeschooling families who are looking for an all-in-one homeschooling guide filled with samples of lesson plans and curriculum, along with helpful hints and the secrets behind the three Areas for Optimum Learning. This wonderful resource for homeschoolers was written by author and homeschool expert Donna Ashton. If you have not grabbed your copy of the Waldorf Homeschool Handbook, we recommend that you do it ASAP! For extended book details and ordering information go HERE The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook
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February 27, 2015
A Multicultural Children’s Book Day Recap (and some big THANK YOUs!)
As I look at my calendar today, it’s hard to believe it has been exactly one month since our huge global event; Multicultural Children’s Book Day.
Our second Multicultural Children’s Book Day: #ReadYourWorld {January 27th} was a HUGE success! Over 150+ bloggers , 17 major sponsors, 9 very special Co-Hosts, a boatload of generous book donators and many, many authors, teachers, parents, readers and librarians showed up to read, visit and enjoy the multicultural book titles, discussions and book-related activities.
Here is the scoop:
2015 Valued Sponsors
MCCBD’s 2015 Sponsors include Platinum Sponsors: Wisdom Tales Press,Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, Gold Sponsors: Satya House, MulticulturalKids.com, Author Stephen Hodges and the Magic Poof, Silver Sponsors: Junior Library Guild, Capstone Publishing, Lee and Low Books, The Omnibus Publishing. Bronze Sponsors:Double Dutch Dolls, Bliss Group Books, Snuggle with Picture Books Publishing, Rainbow Books, Author FeliciaCapers, Chronicle Books Muslim Writers Publishing,East West Discovery Press.
Book Donators
We were blessed with a ton of wonderful authors and publishers who generously donated review copies of books to our bloggers. Immedium Books , Hindi Gym , Author Jewell Parker Rhodes, Author Margo Sorensen, Author Shanequa Davis , Tuttle Publishing, Author Bill Pasani, Author Max Oliver, Author Jacqueline Jules, author Shana Bernabela Author Felicia Capers, Lee and Low Books, Peachtree Publishers, Author Gladys Barbieri, Author Sherrill Cannon, Author Susanne Aspley, Author Carla Torres, Author Frances Gilbert, Author Bernice Rocque Author Meera Sriram, Author Karl Beckstrand, Real Street Kidz The Magic Poof, Wisdom Tales Press, Chronicle Books, Lee & Low Books, Author Stephen Hodges and the Magic Poof Wisdom Tales Press,Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, Gold Sponsors: Satya House, MulticulturalKids.com Capstone Publishing
View the details of our highly successful twitter party HERE.
MCCBD Book Reviewers
Each blogger who participated has their own spin, thoughts, reviews and activities connected to Multicultural Children’s Book Day books, so please take the time visit the below blogs and read their posts. We are proud to say all of our bloggers went above and beyond and were instrumental in making this event a huge success.
A Book Long Enough·A Field Trip Life A Green Mouse A Wrung Sponge· Adalinc To Life Adventures of Adam Africa to America · All Done Monkey ·Annie and Aunt ·Anna McQuinn Artsy Craftsy Mom · Barbara Ann Mojica · Big Hair and Books Bilingual Eyes· ·Books, Babies & Bows Books My Kids Read ·Book Buzz 4 Kids Book Seed Studio · Children’s Books Heal · Crafty Moms Share Critters and Crayons Crystal’s Tiny Treasures· Creative World of Varya Discovering The World Through My Son’s Eyes Dad on the Loose Doodles and Jots· Edventures with Kids Emme Fandrich·Faith Seeker Kids · Franticmommy · GEO Librarian · Gladys Barbieri · Good Reads With Ronna ·Grammies Gang · Grogg.org Growing Book by Book ·How the Sun Rose I’m Not The Nanny ·Imagiread InCulture Parent ·Hey Mama His Mama Java John Z’s Joye Johnson Journeys of the Fabulist· Journey of a Substitute Teacher ·Kathy’s Cluttered Mind Kelia Dawson · Kids Yoga Stories · Kid World Citizen · Kristi’s Book Nook KTIC Book Reviews La Cité des Vents·Learn to be a Mom Latina Book Club Learnimg Table Learning in Two Languages Lisa Rose Writes Live Your Poem Look at What You are Seeing Mama Lady Books · Mama Smiles Marie’s Pastiche·Mindjacked Miss Panda Chinese Mommy Means it·Mombian Monkey Poop ·Moments with Love Mother Daughter Book Reviews Mother of the World· Mommy Wife & Life · · Multicultural Kids Blog ·Muslimah Mommy · P is for Preschooler Parenting and Teaching Multiculturally·Pre-K Sharing Planet Jinxatron Planet Smarty Pants· Randomly Reading ·Reading Authors Reading Through Life Russian Step By Step· Si, Se Puede· Simply Bubbly Spifftacular·Spark and Pook Sprout’s Bookshelf · Squishable Baby SJS Writer at Large ·Sock Fairies Stacking Books Stanley and Katrina ·Something2Offer Strength of it all ·Sunrise Learning Labs · The Educators’ Spin On It · The Family-Ship Experience · The Good Long Road The Logonauts· ThePink Paper Doll ·The Preschool Toolbox Blog Things to Share and Remember This College Dropout This Is Mommyhood This Kid Reviews Books Tips-n-Tools for Schools-n-More Someone Maternal Tracy Marchini· Unconventional Librarian Unto Adoption Unite for Literacy·Vidya Sury Western New Yorker Wise Owl Factory Writing to Connect· · Wrapped in Foil
The Results
This wonderful day came to a close as bloggers, publishers and authors converged on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day site for one Big Gigantic Linky Party and Giveaway. To date we have over 200 different suggestions for multicultural titles for kids. Please check out our Link Party and create a new reading list for your family!
In Conclusion
Our mission for this event was to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries. Thanks to extended media attention, social media and the help of all involved with Multicultural Children’s Book Day, we feel we achieved all of that {and then some!} and we couldn’t be prouder!
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February 26, 2015
Secret Garden Wednesday: Garden in a Jar
It’s Secret Garden Wednesday!
Every Wednesday you can drop by here and find new and special happenings in the Secret Garden. There’ll be crafts, great food, fun and laughter. So please be sure to come by and see us in our Secret Garden created just for you.
One of the things I love most about The Secret Garden is that together, Mary , Colin and Dickon hold the key to.
This week my garden has been under a lot of ice and snow as well as frigid temperatures which ran below zero. To get our time out in the garden in there is only one choice and that’s to create an indoor garden. Our version is Garden in a Jar one of the fun activities in A Year in the Secret Garden. Here’s a sneak peak !!!
This is a really fun activity to do anytime of year but really fun when it’s too cold to go outside. Children love being able to take care of their garden and play with the small figurines moving them around their own secret garden, their very own garden in a jar.
Discovering the art of “Garden in a Jar” is only one of the many things readers will find inside the pages of A Year in the Secret Garden.
Over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. A Year In the Secret Garden is our opportunity to introduce new generations of families to the magic of this classic tale in a modern and innovative way that creates special learning and play times outside in nature. This book encourages families to step away from technology and into the kitchen, garden, reading nook and craft room. For more details, or to grab your copy of this vibrant book, go HERE.
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February 22, 2015
Weekend Links-International Mother Language Day Round Up (IMLD)
International Mother Language Day is observed every year on the 21st of February. UNESCO officially proclaimed the day in 1999 with the aim to promote “linguistic diversity and multilingual education” and to develop the “awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions all over the world” thereby inspiring “international solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue”. Language is so much more than just a means of communication. “Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.”
We want to raise more awareness about the International Mother Language Day and see it celebrated all over the world, both in families, organizations and communities as well as on a national and global level, thereby promoting understanding, tolerance and dialogue. Something that we are in dire need of in today’s world. Check out these IMLD-related posts:
Rita Rosenback from Multilingual Parenting has a gorgeous post about this special holiday: International Mother Language Day 2015 – #IMLD
The wildly talented Daria from Making Multicultural Music has a wonderful post on how to Learn Some Basic Quechua Through Song For International Mother Language Day (IMLD)
A Child’s Life In The Andes from Teachers Pay Teachers
The Scrambled Nest asks the question: How are you helping your kids become global citizens?
Bilingual teens and young adults (#IMLD 2015) via @expatsincebirth
What is the value of a language? A new #PBS doc Language Matters looks at what we lose when we lose a language.
Join the campaign by visiting and liking the International Mother Language Day Celebration Facebook page and by sharing the daily posts through social media in the run-up to the day. The Facebook page will be a treasure trove of quotes, pictures, links to posts, articles, and activities to do with mother tongue, language, multilingualism, education, multiculturalism and diversity. Use the #IMLD hashtag to find others’ messages on social media and share them.
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February 20, 2015
How do Pandas Eat With 3-Foot Chopsticks? A Chinese Happy New Year with Demi
Happy Lunar New Year. This week we’re celebrating Chinese New Year. Usually this means we go to our friends The Deng’s House and have an enormous feast and fireworks. This year however the Dengs are actually home in China, celebrating with their family and friends in Beijing. We want to wish all of you a very Happy Chinese New Year.
Today we are celebrating Chinese New Year with a wonderful new book, The Pandas and Their Chopstic
ks by author/illustrator Demi.
Demi has put together a collection of 10 wonderful animal fables from China. Beautifully and cleverly illustrated and simply told, these tales will become an easy reach when searching for something quick to read with the family which holds great substance. Demi adapted these whimsical animal stories from traditional Asian folktales, these lighthearted stories have a universal appeal and will provide valuable lessons for little hearts and mins to absorb.
After reading this book, my son asked me if we are a “fabalistic” family ? Meaning; do we believe in fables and do we find them to be true ? He was so curious he even made up his own word.
Discover inside the pages of this engaging collection of fables how panda learns the importance of sharing, how turtle discovers the danger of being proud, and how everyone, including tiny hummingbird, has their part to play in life.
This is Aesop Fables meet China at its absolute best. Don’t miss this one. It’s a Great Read !!!
Something To Do
Working with fables enables children to:
Build Literacy. The short and precise structure and language of fables have a wonderful effect on young readers and writers. Children learn to recognize predictable patterns in the structure of the fables as well as being able to apply this to their own writing.
Build Ethical and Moral Development. Working with fables lets children feel comfortable exploring and reflecting on their own values as well as developing critical thinking skills about ethical issues.
Build Discussion Skills. Through discussion and debate, children learn to listen to each other and express their own opinions about ethical behavior. They can discuss real-life issues using fables as a tool as well as discussing how certain behaviors and outcomes can impact family and school communities at large.
Develop an Understanding of Metaphor. Fables promote higher levels of thinking as children develop their skills at interpreting the meaning of the fable, making inferences and judgments, and creating alternative solutions to problems. Children are challenged to take a specific set of actions which relate to a certain moral outcome.
Translate Ethical Issues into Real Life. Children while reading fables, develop critical thinking skills as they reflect about the events in the stories and how to apply the proverbs to a variety of real world events happening in their lives, communities, or the world at large.
Here are a couple of ideas on how to bring these wonderful fables to life. I’m working on a full cross curriculum adventure kits for The Pandas and their Chopsticks I’ll share with you very soon.
Story Theater
Read the Fable Aloud.
Invite your children to act out the fable you’ve just read to them. Here’s how:
Form a circle. The center of the circle becomes the stage.
Neither the actor nor the audience may touch one another.
When the narrator or actor is speaking the audience meaning the other circle members are listening.
Choose a narrator and the necessary amount of actors for the fable. The narrator tells the story in their own words as the actors act out the story. If in the fable the characters have lines to speak the actors speak those lines or words.
Writing
On a piece of paper give an example from your own life that describes the moral from the fable.
Draw
After writing your own life example go ahead and draw it as well.
Fables are a wonderful tool to teach children about ethics and morals as well as deepen their critical thinking and language skills.
I wish all of you a wonderful Lunar New Year !!! The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese). Even though the pronunciations are a little different, both are written the same way.
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February 18, 2015
Secret Garden Wednesday-Perfectly Good Porridge
This time of year in the Secret Garden the earth is sleeping under a cloak of beautiful white snow. The birds have migrated off leaving the garden quiet from birdsong. This is the time of year when we clean up the garden when snow and rains allow. In the not to distant future, our garden will be exploding with life once again.
I thought we’d spend these last few weeks of winter together enjoying a few moments inside our book A Year in the Secret Garden. Marilyn Scott-Waters and I had more fun than two women should creating this activity guide to one of our favorite childhood books The Secret Garden.
Every Wednesday you can drop by here and find new and special happenings in the Secret Garden. There’ll be crafts, great food, fun and laughter. So please be sure to come by and see us in our Secret Garden created just for you.
One of the things I love most about The Secret Garden is that together, Mary , Colin and Dickon hold the key to.
One of our tasty treats in A Year in the Secret Garden is Porridge with Treacle. I’m sure all of you are asking , “what’s that ?” I thought today we’d take a closer look porridge, in fact we’ll just have ourselves a little Porridge Fest 2015. What do you say ?
What is Porridge ?
Porridge is a dish made by boiling ground, crushed, or chopped cereal in water, milk, or both, with optional flavorings such as sugar, cinnamon, nuts, raisins, is usually served hot in a bowl or dish.
Have you ever noticed that in most of our favorite children’s classic stories that they are always serving porridge or it’s bad version equivalent gruel ? There’s probably a good reason for that. Many of our favorite books are set in England or Great Britain. Northern Europe including Scandinavia have been eating porridge for centuries. I love the oat porridge of England and Scotland. My parents being from Sweden meant I ate a rice sort of porridge known as groat. Porridge can be made from any type of grain and is so very good and tasty.
According to the Daily Telegraph, porridge transformed mankind.
Alistair Moffat, a DNA specialist from Great Britain said,
“The greatest revolution of our history wasn’t the invention of the iPad, it wasn’t the invention of the steam engine, it wasn’t all the things you might lay your mind to. The great invention, the greatest revolution in our history was the invention of farming. Farming changed the world because of the invention of porridge.”
Porridge is a hearty meal that can be modified to either a sweet dish or a savory dish depending on how seasonings are being added. Over the past couple hundred years, porridge is eaten as a breakfast meal and let’s one stay full most of the day. In the story the Secret Garden, people ate two meals a day. Porridge in the morning and then supper at night. It was only the upper classes that would have more than two meals a day.
In other literary favorites such as Oliver Twist, “each boy had one porringer, and no more – excep
t on occasions of great public rejoicing” – has been viewed as a watery symbol of deprivation. The watery deprived version of porridge is known as gruel. The Roman armies as they occupied Great Britain were fed ‘water-grule’. Later various prison systems in Great Britain would serve their prisoners water-gruel and the term “doing gruel or doing porridge” became a term for being in prison.
Let’s look back a little bit into history and really see where the story of porridge leads us.
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”
In peasant cottages there was no kitchen to cook in. The poorest families had only one room where they cooked, ate, worked and slept. It is also possible that most of these extremely poor families owned only one kettle. Poor town-dwellers usually didn’t even have that, and obtained most of their meals ready-made from shops and street vendors in the Medieval version of “fast-food.”
Those who lived on the edge of starvation had to make use of every edible item they could find, and just about everything could go into the pot (often a footed kettle that rested in the fire rather than over it) for the evening meal. This included beans, grains, vegetables and sometimes meat — often bacon. Using a little meat in this manner would make it go farther as sustenance.
To really understand porridge we really must go to Scotland. Porridge or Parritch is one of the national dishes of Scotland.
Traditions surround the making and eating of porridge. Stirring should always be done clockwise (for luck) with a spirtle or theevil, a wooden stick tapering to a rounded point, for stirring, and a carved head. In Scots, porridge was always referred to in the plural and was customarily eaten while standing, but the reasons for this latter custom aren’t really known. Some think it was due to the proverb: “A staunin’ sack fills the fu’est” (A standing sack fills the fullest), while others thought people ate standing up in case of a surprise enemy attack.
Once cooked, the porridge is ladled into porringers (bowls) with a separate bowl of milk, buttermilk, or thin cream 
close by. Each spoonful of porridge was dipped into the cold liquid and then eaten. Some sprinkled sugar over the porridge, and others preferred honey, treacle or syrup, or a small square of butter. Porridge was sometimes poured into a drawer in the kitchen dresser to be sliced when cold, either for eating out in the fields or for reheating in the evening.
Porridge for your Health
Porridge is highly nutritious because oatmeal contains protein, carbohydrate, fats, and soluble fiber, all the B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, and iron. For the very poor in Great Britain, porridge prevented scurvy and other ailments from the lack of vitamins A, C, and D when one added milk and vegetables to the porridge.
What is Treacle ?
So now we get to the sweet stuff. For those of us who live in the United States, treacle will be a mystery but I’m hoping to end that for you right now. For those of you who live in Great Britain or the Commonwealth I imagine treacle has found a way to your heart , stomach, and table.
Treacle is what we call molasses here in the States. Treacle is any un-crystallized syrup made during the refining of sugar. The most common forms of treacle are the pale syrup known as golden syrup and the darker syrup usually referred to as dark or black treacle. Dark treacle has a distinctively strong, slightly bitter flavor, and a richer color than golden syrup,yet not as dark as molasses. Golden syrup is the main sweetener in treacle tart.
For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, Treacle Tart and Treacle Pudding were among Harry’s favorite foods.
Molasses has a stronger and more robust taste than treacle. In the US molasses is found in bottles in the baking section of your grocery store and treacle can be found in cans/tins in grocery stores in Great Britain.
Inside the pages of A Year in the Secret Garden you will find a delicious recipe for porridge and treacle. I hope you’ve enjoyed our porridge fest today and a closer look into this hearty and tasteful meal.
Enjoy !!!
Find out more, or grab your very own copy of, A Year in The Secret Garden HERE
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February 16, 2015
A Look back at Past President’s Day Booklists and Activities!
“Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.” History.com
Not only do I enjoy this holiday, I love looking back on the plethora of books I have reviewed in the past with a “Presidential theme.” To say the least, there are some wonderful books and activities out there on this topic that I know kids and families will enjoy. Here are some of my top picks:
Back in November 2012 of I created a very fun booklist in honor of the upcoming elections season.
Presidential politics.
I Grew Up to Be President by Laurie Calkhoven, illus by Rebecca Zomchek.
From George Washington to Barack Obama, this child’s is a child’s perfect introduction to all of the U.S. Presidents. On every spread, readers will learn about the Presidents’ childhoods, families, careers, accomplishments in office, and life after the White House. Famous quotes, major events, and fun facts are all included. With simple text and full-color illustrations and photographs throughout, every parent, teacher, and child will want this essential reference for their bookshelf.-Amazon
Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud. By Suzanne Tripp Jurmain, illustrated by Larry Day.
John Adams was short, fat, and talkative. Thomas Jefferson was tall, thin, and quiet. Together, they made an excellent case for American Independence. But when Tom and John couldn’t agree whether a weak or strong presidency was better, they had a falling out that spanned their two presidencies and long into their retirements. Would they hold a grudge forever?-Amazon
See more of this presidential booklist blog post HERE.
In February of last year we enjoyed the Family Book Festival here on JIAB. AND one of my favorite young authors was kind enough to contribute a very fun book review. Felicia from Stanley & Katrina: Pet Authors offered up her book pick; Duck for President. Read more about Felicia and here fun review of Duck for President HERE.
During the last presidential election there was a lot of discussion about political parties. How are they different ? How are they the same? Who, exactly would make the better leader of our country ?
Here is an entertaining book which helps answer these questions. Using the cat and dog in a brilliant analogy of what really happens during the political process, author Julia Dweck brings voting and campaigning to life through her creative rhymes and entertaining conclusions. Read more about Cat or Dog for President HERE.
During our Read Around the Continents series we spotlighted North America and in the process pinpointed some amazing kidlit books about our country’s founding fathers and leaders.
The United States is 3.79 million square miles or 983 million square kilometers. With 315 million people living inside it’s borders, the United States is the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nation. As well as it’s people, the geography and climate of the U.S. are equally diverse, with deserts, plains, forests, and mountains that are home to a wide variety of wildlife. Read more about this topics and the books that go with it HERE.
Exciting news! Is the winter blues and cabin fever making your family a bit “cray-cray”I have a fun idea up my sleeve to help get everyone moving and reading. My latest book (co-written with Marilyn Scott-Waters) A Year in The Secret Garden is a gorgeous book inspired by the classic children’s tale Secret Garden. Within these pages your family will find new activities, crafts, recipes and lessons (inspired by the book) in a something-to-do-every month format. SO, for the next few months I will be pulling some “fun-ness” from the pages of A Year in the Secret Garden and sharing them here every Wednesday. Watch for Secret Garden Wednesday coming very soon!
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February 15, 2015
Does Your Son Puzzle You? Understanding Your Son 101 has the Solution!
Are you a parent who just wants to figure out what makes your son tick?
Does he puzzle you?
Amaze you?
Frustrate you?
Sometimes all at once?
You have to know about Janet Allison – she is the Founder of Boys Alive! and a friend of mine. She has dedicated herself to helping all of US understand ALL the males in our lives.
She is wise, experienced, and a dynamic, humorous, and warm speaker — and that means you are going to learn a TON from her! Janet has been called a ‘boy whisperer.’ She gets boys and you will too, even more, after you’ve listened to the 3 hours of audio and worked with the pdfs created to support learning and applying this information.
PLUS, she’s offering some bonuses you won’t want to miss!
Join Janet for a *free* Webinar on Wednesday, February 18th. Save your seat HERE: Understanding Your Son 101 Webinar
Janet gets that you may feel like you’ve failed now and then as a parent…
No worries!
She’ll support you to:
Increase your parenting savvy and confidence
Understand (finally!) where he is coming from
Apply gender-friendly practical strategies to use immediately!
Don’t miss Janet’s WEBINAR on Wednesday, February 18th at 10 am pacific. Sign up, even if you can’t make it – she’ll share the recording. Save your seat here: Understanding Your Son 101 Webinar
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Janet – Understanding Your Son 101 will change your relationship with your son – and all the men in your life! Get signed up now – you won’t regret it!
That link to get signed up again is here: Understanding Your Son 101 Webinar
**Some of these links are affiliate links.
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February 14, 2015
How Are You Celebrating International Book Giving Day? {with Book Giveaway!}
Happy Valentine’s Day and a very Happy International Book Giving Day!
Susan Stephenson and Emma Perry are kindred spirits when it comes to putting books into the hands of children. Now in it’s 4th year, International Book Giving Day continues to grow worldwide. Turning the commercialization of Valentine’s Day on it’s head, people are encouraged to spread the love of reading by getting as many books into the hands of children as possible.
Did You Know……
Most children in developing countries do not own books.
In the United Kingdom, one-third of children do not own books.
In the United States, two-thirds of children living in poverty do not own books.
How To Get Involved
International Book Giving Day’s focus is on encouraging people worldwide to give a book to a child on February 14th. We invite individuals to
1) gift a book to a friend or family member,
2) leave a book in a waiting room for children to read
3) donate a gently used book to a local library, hospital or shelter or to an organization that distributes used books to children in need internationally.
“February 14th is about sharing the love of books! #giveabook”
How We’re Celebrating:
For the past 6 months I’ve been collecting books. This huge container of books is being given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Multicultural Children’s Book Day and it was a huge success! We had a robust Twitter party and our First Book fundraiser continues.
Along with giving books to children on this day, The International Book Giving Day organization encourage people to support the work of nonprofit organizations (i.e. charities) that work year round to give books to children, such as Room to Read (international), Books for Africa (international), Book Aid International (international), The Book Bus (international), First Book (U.S.), Reading is Fundamental (U.S.), Reach Out and Read (U.S.), Pratham Books (India), Indigenous Literacy Foundation (Australia), The Footpath Library (Australia), Nal’ibali (South Africa) and Duffy Books in Homes (New Zealand).
Keeping with the “giving” theme, I’m going to give away a few book bundles here. Please be sure to sign up on the Rafflecopter below and WIN SOME BOOKS! 
OTHER BOOK GIVING IDEAS
The International Book Giving Day site has their top ten tips for creating a Children’s Book Swap for your city and I LOVE these ideas!
But I also wanted to put my own “spin” on “book swapping” and do it Jump Into a Book-style. As you may already know, I am a huge advocate for not just reading children’s literature, but also bring the stories to life through what I call Book Jumping.
Book Jumping: The act of taking the solitary act of reading a book and transforming it into a event to be shared with other. It’s the act of pulling books off shelves and stories off pages. It’s the act of making kids books come ALIVE and living inside the pages. It’s creating places of magic and wonder, without ever leaving the house.
You Know You Are A Book Jumper When
Instead of using words like “read” or “enjoy”, you use “enter.” As in; “enter one of the most beloved children’s tales of all time.”
Reading a book is a group activity, not a solitary event.
You need to fill a “supply list” before you begin a new chapter.
So based on this idea I want to encourage young readers, moms, parents, teachers and librarians every where to not only “swap” books, but “Swap” ideas on how to bring those books to life.
During our wildly successful second-annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day we created a special celebration and venue for bloggers to do book reviews and share activities that went with the multicultural children’s books they were reviewing. The result is a HUGE blogger link-up that is the motherlode of amazing books and activities that celebrate diversity in children’s literature. Our #ReadYourWorld Multicultural Children’s Book Day Linky has 234 books reviews & activities and is still going strong! You can see it here.
Now, let’s give away some BOOKS!
THREE lucky winners (Open to USA residents only) will win a very special 5 book bundle of multicultural children’s book titles!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
ONE winner will receive a 5 book bundle. Giveaway begins 2-14-15 and ends 2-21-15
Giveaway open to US addresses only
THREE lucky winners will each win one book bundle.
Residents of USA only please.
Must be 18 years or older to enter
One entry per household.
Staff and family members of Audrey Press are not eligible.
Giveaway ends on 2-21-15 and winners have 48 hours to claim their prize
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on 2-22-15
The post How Are You Celebrating International Book Giving Day? {with Book Giveaway!} appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
