Lisa Cohn's Blog, page 17
September 19, 2014
The Benefits of My Read-Aloud Problem: Mamalode Article
The Benefits of My Read-Aloud Problem
By Lisa Cohn
I’ve got a read-aloud problem. It infringes on my time and restricts me to the library, the bookstore, and of course, the couch.
I’m gaining weight. I don’t frolic enough in the park with my dog. And my read-aloud problem makes it nearly impossible to cook healthy meals that actually follow recipes. It’s grab and go for me.
My read-aloud problem is my 6-year-old son, Michael. He begins his campaign when he wakes, saying he won’t go to school until I read him a book. If it’s a weekend, he insists on beginning the day with a visit to the bookstore or library so I can read aloud to him.
After we read in bed on school mornings, he loads about three dozen Scooby-Doo books into a bag and lugs them to school.
“The kids want to see my books on the playground,” he says. “When you pick me up, can you read ‘Scooby-Doo and The Case of the Angry Alligator’ on the jungle gym to me and my friends?”
Read the rest of the story in Mamalode here:
Lisa Cohn’s Story in Mamalode: The Benefits of My Read-Aloud Problem
Do you have kids who love books and love to be read to? We’d love to hear your stories! Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com!
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September 9, 2014
Happiness is…A Boy and His Dog!
A Boy and His Dog=Happiness!
By Lisa Cohn
Precious is the bond between kids and their dogs.
We read about this bond in beloved children’s books. In some classics, children learn about how child-and-dog duos love, support, and rely on each other. Among these beloved duos are Henry and Mudge, Emily Elizabeth and Clifford, Nate the Great and his pal Sludge, and Shaggy and Scooby.
These dynamic duos solve mysteries, make kids laugh, instill in kids a love of reading, and teach children to respect and care for animals.
In real life, the child-dog connection provides all these advantages—and more. Members of families with dogs are healthier, get more exercise, and enjoy lower blood pressure. What’s more, dogs helps kids who are autistic, diabetic, have seizures or other health problems. Our tail-wagging pals can prevent autistic kids from running into streets and prevent them from having meltdowns! You can read more about that here:
Article About Autistic Kids and Dogs in Dogster
Whether four-legged friends are service animals or pets, they’re important teachers.
Children with dogs learn to love, care for, and respect animals. Recently, our dog, Hudson, had hot spots—and then
a stomachache due to his antibiotics. Michael, age 6, helped take Hudson to the vet, weigh him, and clean and treat his hotspots. Michael also learned about how to make yummy homemade dog food—goodies suggested by the vet to boost Hudson’s overall health.
And dogs provide an irresistible fun factor.
A Boy and His Dog Romp on The Beach
Recently, we took a trip to the Oregon Coast, where Michael and I clowned with our pal on the beach. We threw balls, rolled down sand dunes, chased Hudson and laughed and laughed. It’s a cliché, but it’s true: It’s easy to live in the moment when you’re romping with a dog. My cell phone disappeared, I forgot about the time, and reveled in a technology-free afternoon immersed in fresh air, warm sun, and Hudson. We couldn’t stop giggling at his adorable face and nose stubbled with a sandy beard!
Such happiness is contagious, and we hope to spread it with our “Bash and Lucy” dog book series and blog. In our contemporary boy-and-dog books, a boy, Bash, enjoys a tight bond with his dog, Lucy. In fact, Lucy boosts Bash’s confidence in sports, and he’s a little uneasy without her nearby. Learn more about our first award-winning book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence” and our upcoming book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy,” by visiting www.BashAndLucy.com Got photos of kids and dogs to share? Please email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com! And please join us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BashAndLucy
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August 25, 2014
“The World’s Youngest Book Reviewer:” Sirius Radio Interview
Michael, Age 6, Described as “World’s Youngest Book Reviewer”
What does a young book lover and book reviewer eat while he’s reading? What does his dog eat while keeping the book lover company? What are the book lover’s favorite books to review–and why is he writing his own series of books, along with his mom?
In an interview with Sirius Radio’s Kim Power Stilson last week, our book lover, Michael, age 6, answered these questions. Stilson, who is very adept at interviewing young children, called him “the world’s youngest book reviewer.”
Michael told Stilson he likes Nate the Great, Scooby-Doo and Henry and Mudge books, along with A to Z Mysteries. Michael said his dog’s favorite book is “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” (which Michael helped write!).
He told Stilson that his favorite part of “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence” is when Lucy pees on the coach’s shoe.
Michael then gave away the plot of our upcoming book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy,” which is due to be released this fall.
During the interview, we explained why Michael started doing book reviews and how surprised we were by the response to his reviews. Lisa explained that Michael often rates books, giving them anywhere from 12 out of ten possible stars to 1 billion stars out of ten!
You can listen to the interview here. Michael comes in after about 10 minutes:
Interview with Sirius Radio’s Kim Power Stilson
Lisa and Michael Cohn on Kim Power Stilson Show
Comments? Want to join Michael’s Kidlit Chats? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com
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August 16, 2014
Teachers, Join Our Kidlit Chats with Michael, age 6, and Friends!
Michael, age 6, Loves Kidlit Chats
By Lisa Cohn
Teachers and parents, join our Kidlit Chats, during which Michael, age 6, discusses his and your kids’ favorite books (sometimes along with his friends and cousins).
Our Kidlit Chats are all part of our mission to instill in kids a love of books—especially dog books! Michael, who was featured on the Today Show for his passion for books and his YouTube book reviews, enjoys talking to children of all ages about books.
Unless you’re in Portland, Ore., the best way to do a KidLit Chat with us is via Skype in the classroom. Teachers can sign up here:
https://education.skype.com/projects/9544-kidlit-chat-with-michael-age-6-mom-award-winning-authors
Generally, I ask a few questions to get the discussion going, and the kids jump right in!
Michael likes to point out character traits, identify patterns, discuss themes, and compare book series. And he loves to review books, explaining why he likes them and giving them ratings, sometimes in the billions of stars!
Here’s a video in which Michael discusses his favorite characters in the A to Z Mysteries. He compares their personalities:
Here’s a Skype in the classroom discussion about a “Henry and Mudge” book:
How did all this get started, you may ask? Sadly, it began with the sudden death of our beloved Golden Retriever, Lucy, at the age of 6 due to cancer. To help us overcome our grief, we wrote our first book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence www.BashAndLucy.com.
When it was time to create a blog, we called it “Michael’s Dog Blog,” www.BashAndLucy.com/blog, and decided to feature videos from Michael and friends, age 4 to 13. It was his choice to share his enthusiasm for dog books, and we posted our first dog book review when Michael was still 4 years old (almost 5) Here it is:
http://youtu.be/BgSQ8KcI4wc?list=UUaqm7IBSHh24KbrP0J7dTXQ
Michael, his friends and cousins have reviewed many books on our YouTube channel. Some of the reviews were in response to requests from independent authors.
We recently expanded our discussions to include mysteries, which are also Michael’s favorites.
We learned about the A to Z Mysteries by talking to kids globally via Skype, during our “Write, Publish, Publicize” Skype in the classroom lesson. That lesson teaches kids all about writing and publishing, and you can find it here:
https://education.skype.com/projects/7536-write-publish-and-publicize-an-award-winning-book
During these lessons—with kids of all ages from all over the world–we often found ourselves discussing favorite children’s books, so we decided to offer another lesson, this Kidlit Chat.
Teachers and parents, please join in the fun! If you don’t have computers or can’t do Skype lessons, email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com and we’ll arrange a visit somehow! We visit schools here in Portland. You can also email us your thoughts, or write comments on our blog posts or YouTube page.
We look forward to discussing Kidlit with your children and students!
The post Teachers, Join Our Kidlit Chats with Michael, age 6, and Friends! appeared first on Bash And Lucy.
Teachers, Join Our Kidlit Chats with Michael, Age 6!
Michael, age 6, Loves Kidlit Chats
By Lisa Cohn
Teachers and parents, join our Kidlit Chats, during which Michael, age 6, discusses his and your kids’ favorite books.
Our Kidlit Chats are all part of our mission to instill in kids a love of books—especially dog books! Michael, who was featured on the Today Show for his passion for books and his YouTube book reviews, enjoys talking to children of all ages about books.
The best way to do a KidLit Chat with us is via Skype in the classroom. Teachers can sign up here:
https://education.skype.com/projects/9544-kidlit-chat-with-michael-age-6-mom-award-winning-authors
Generally, I ask a few questions to get the discussion going, and the kids jump right in!
Michael likes to point out character traits, identify patterns, discuss themes, and compare book series. And he loves to review books, explaining why he likes them and giving them ratings, sometimes in the billions of stars!
Here’s a video in which Michael discusses his favorite characters in the A to Z Mysteries. He compares their personalities:
Here’s another video in which Michael compares two of his favorite book series—A to Z Mysteries and Scooby-Doo, and gives a big thumbs-up rating to “The Panda Puzzle.”
How did all this get started, you may ask? Sadly, it began with the sudden death of our beloved Golden Retriever, Lucy, at the age of 6 due to cancer. To help us overcome our grief, we wrote our first book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence www.BashAndLucy.com.
When it was time to create a blog, we called it “Michael’s Dog Blog,” www.BashAndLucy.com/blog, and decided to feature videos from Michael. It was his choice to share his enthusiasm for dog books, and we posted our first dog book review when Michael was still 4 years old (almost 5) Here it is:
http://youtu.be/BgSQ8KcI4wc?list=UUaqm7IBSHh24KbrP0J7dTXQ
He has reviewed many books on our YouTube channel, and some of the reviews were in response to requests from independent authors.
We recently expanded our discussions to include mysteries, which are also Michael’s favorites.
Michael learned about the A to Z Mysteries by talking to kids globally via Skype, during our first Skype in the classroom lessons. That lesson teaches kids all about writing and publishing, and you can find it here:
https://education.skype.com/projects/7536-write-publish-and-publicize-an-award-winning-book
During these lessons—with kids of all ages from all over the world–we often find ourselves discussing Michael’s and students’ favorite books, so we decided to offer our Kidlit Chat.
Teachers and parents, please join in the fun! If you don’t have computers or can’t do Skype lessons, email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com and we’ll arrange a visit somehow! You can also email us your thoughts, or write comments on our blog posts or YouTube page.
We look forward to discussing Kidlit with your children and students!
The post Teachers, Join Our Kidlit Chats with Michael, Age 6! appeared first on Bash And Lucy.
July 20, 2014
The Magical Ways Service Dogs Help Children
Michael, Our Dog Blogger (Left), Learns How Service Dogs Help Children Like Tristen (Right)
Andrew Babaie, an autistic boy from Portland, Ore., can’t wait to get a service dog trained for him by Autism Service Dogs of America.
His mother, Michele, can’t wait, either. She says the dog, after months of training, will help soothe Andrew’s anxiety and prevent meltdowns.
Sometimes, a dog undergoes months of training before serving this critical role in a child’s life. Sometimes, the dog makes an appearance in a child’s life, the child and dog become close, and the magic happens on its own.
That’s the case with Tristen Doose, an 11-year-old with mild autism who also has occasional seizures. His parents, owners of Von Haus-Doose Working Dogs, rescued a stray Maltepoo, Benji, and Tristen and the dog formed a tight bond quickly.
“You can’t turn every dog into a service dog,” says Ewe Doose, Tristen’s dad, who has more than 30 years’ experience training dogs. “But Tristen and Benji clicked. Tristen has meltdowns, and the dog really calms him.” Tristen also has a tendency to run, sometimes into dangerous places like streets. But with Tristen always holding the handle of Benji’s leash, the dog prevents him from running.
“Benji helps keep meltdowns from happening or cuts the length of meltdowns,” says Ewe Doose. “When he starts to have a meltdown, we can also distract him by getting him playing with Benji. Then he forgets about being upset.”
Now, the Doose family is focusing on seeing if Benji can sense that Tristen is about to have a seizure. This special sense often comes about if a dog is particularly close to a person.
For example, Stephanie, a woman from Portland, Ore., who suffers from seizures, says her dog assigned himself the role of sensing that she is about to have a seizure, and to alert her before it happens. He barks, jumps on her and paws at her, she says. As a result of this special ability, the dog is now an official service dog whom she can take everywhere.
“Dogs can sense something before it happens,” says Ewe Doose.
Diabetic kids also benefit from service dogs, say Dr. Dana Hardin, medical director and pediatric endocrinologist at
Eli Lilly. She trains service dogs to sense drops in kids’ blood sugar. The kids’ canine companions sound the alarm by trying to “tell” the child and people around him or her that something is wrong. Some dogs do this naturally–if they’re really bonded with the child. Others can be trained to alert kids and parents.
“After a few years of having diabetes, kids don’t always recognize that their blood sugar is low,” says Hardin. “If their blood sugar continues to drop, their brain doesn’t work well and they can become unconscious. It’s critical for kids to know when they have low blood sugar.”
Dogs can smell drops in blood sugar and can be trained to alert the child and parents. “We know it’s something they smell, but don’t know exactly what they smell,” Hardin explains. “Dogs have a very sensitive sense of smell. They can smell changes in blood sugar even though there’s deodorant, perfumes, and other scents all around them.”
Hardin’s grandmother was a diabetic, and her dog, a dachshund, always alerted her when her blood sugar was low. He jumped on her, and if she didn’t pay attention, he would go get someone to help.
Dogs help kids and adults in so many ways that are magical! Visit us at BashAndLucy.com to learn about the special dog, Lucy, in our dog picture book and how she helps kids, even though she’s not a service dog!
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July 8, 2014
Adventures Writing a Kids’ Dog Book with a 5-Year-Old
Adventures Writing a Kids’ Dog Book with a 5-Year-Old
My 5-year-old son, Michael, woke up one morning about a year ago, hugged me, and said, “Mom, I really want people to read the book we wrote.”
We had just finished “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” which we wrote to help us overcome grief over our dog’s sudden death.
My son’s heartfelt request kindled in me a desire to make Michael’s longing a reality.
However, I never expected Michael to embrace this project with such enthusiasm–and declare, just recently, that he wants to be a writer when he grows up.
For me, this project is all about following Michael’s passions. I don’t want him to feel forced to participate. If an author wants Michael to review a book on the YouTube channel where he talks about kidlit, I don’t insist. I give him the book and ask if he wants to review it.
If I have a lesson lined up with a classroom—to talk about our experiences writing our book—I ask Michael if he wants to participate. If the answer is no (rarely, because he loves talking to kids about books), he doesn’t participate.
We’re now writing our second book, tentatively titled “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy,” and I have been amazed and thrilled by how much my son wants to contribute to the book.
Michael, who just turned 6, enthusiastically came up with the ideas for the conflict and plot. I don’t want to give too much away, but I loved his ideas for creating unusual situations in which our main character, Bash, would be jealous!
The easy part of writing a book is actually putting words on paper. Next comes the promotion and publicity. Having a young co-author has added excitement, unpredictability and adventure to this process.
For example, when the crew of the Today Show filmed a segment here in Portland about Michael, I wasn’t sure how much Michael would cooperate. It’s fair to say that after a few hours, he was ready to go play with his friends, and I was sweating bullets, hoping that our visitors would get what they needed from him.
However, thanks to the talents of the Today Show reporter, producers, and crew, the end result was this adorable piece, a piece I’ll treasure forever—about Michael’s love of books and YouTube book reviews:
Book-Crazy Boy on the Today Show
Of course, that was an edited piece. What happened when I appeared live on TV with my 5-year-old? I really was sweating with apprehension about what my sometimes mischievous son would do!
When we were recently interviewed live by Helen Raptis for AM Northwest, Michael yanked off the microphone as soon as he entered the TV studio. He then became entranced by our images on the TV monitor. This was the result:
Even though Michael didn’t cooperate, I’ll treasure that piece forever!
Our other public appearances generally involve talking to students—either in person, here in Portland, or via Skype in the Classroom. Again, having Michael along adds energy and excitement. Sometimes, he’s mischievous, as he was when I asked him to show the students a photo of his 15-year-old sister, our favorite editor and biggest supporter:
But mostly, he shares his love of books, a love we hope is contagious:
Our efforts to share Michael’s enthusiasm for books—and dogs–continue as we prepare our next book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy,” which was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. Follow us on twitter for updates: Bash and Lucy on Twitter or visit us at BashAndLucy.com
And email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com with questions, comments or ideas!
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June 30, 2014
Our Favorite Kids’ Dog Books for Summer Reading!
Kids’ Dog Books for Summer Reading
By Lisa Cohn
Parents and teachers, kids’ dog books are a great choice for summer reading–whether you’re reading to a preschooler or choosing books for young readers.
Kids love dog books because they’re almost always silly and elicit lots of laughs. And that means kids like to read them again and again. They also learn to love dogs by reading these books.
If your children are like my 6-year-old, Michael, they likely request trips to the bookstore or library specifically to find dog books.
Among our favorites are the series Henry and Mudge, Nate the Great, and Scooby-Doo. It’s a great idea to introduce kids to book series. If they love one of the books, they’ll ask for the next books in the series!
Henry and Mudge books are beautifully illustrated and the characters are lovable. Mudge is a huge, drooly and silly companion to young Henry and sometimes is the source of conflict in the story. For example, in “Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin,” Henry’s neat and clean cousin visits and Henry worries that she won’t enjoy his favorite activity–playing with Mudge.
Michael especially enjoys the dad in Henry and Mudge, because he’s “cool.” Watch this video for Michael’s opinion about the dad, which he expresses to a group of young children via Skype:
Nate the Great books are boy-and-dog books in which Nate and his dog, Sludge, solve mysteries, generally in their neighborhood. Readers quickly grow to love the characters in this humorous series, including Nate, who always writes a letter to his mother before setting out to solve a case. Rosamond is strange and has lots of cats, and Oliver follows people, while Claude loses things.
Michael loves the fact that these books are mysteries. Watch his review of “Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine” here:
Another favorite kids’ dog book series is Scooby-Doo. In these books, Scooby-Doo reluctantly helps solve mysteries if the rest of the gang offers him a Scooby Snack. These are the silliest of all the kids’ dog books, and that’s what Michael loves best about them! They have a predictable plot line: The gang must solve a mystery, they split up and look for clues, Scooby and Shaggy act as bait to lure the bad guy, and then the mystery is solved.
The illustrations of Scooby dressed up as a mermaid, a bowler, a chef, and in other “disguises” always make us laugh. As a mom, I don’t like the fact that the gang members sometimes get tied up. But it’s hard to resist the silly illustrations and funny characters.
Here you’ll find a number of Scooby-Doo book reviews by Michael and friends, age 5 to 13:
The latest in the Scooby-Doo series are the “You Choose” books published by Capstone. Kids can follow a number of different paths for completing the story. Michael was so thrilled to discover this new series, he decided to write a song about this “You Choose: Scooby-Doo” book, along with his music teacher:
For kids who love dog picture books, we recommend “Lucy Rescued,” which not only entertains but teaches kids about rescuing dogs from shelters:
While you’re looking into kids’ dog books, consider checking out our own book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” an award-winning book in which a wise by mischievous Golden Retriever instills confidence in the boys on a soccer team. We’re now working on our second book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy.” Learn more at BashAndLucy.com
And if you’d like Michael to review a kids’ dog book, email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com!
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June 7, 2014
Boy-and-Dog Mysteries Reviewed by Michael, Age 5
Boy-and-Dog Mysteries Reviewed by Michael, age 5 and Mia, 13
This blog is sponsored by the natural pet care company I and love and you , which backed the Kickstarter that will help pay for our next kids’ dog book!
Boy-and-dog mysteries are 5-year-old Michael’s favorite books. He loves to guess how the boy-and-dog detectives will solve the mysteries. What’s more, these books–including Scooby-Doo and Nate the Great–really make him laugh.
The characters in “Nate the Great” books are really alive in Michael’s heart, thanks to the author’s talents. Ask him about any of the characters in this series, and he’ll give you a description. Nate the Great loves pancakes and taking baths, Rosamond is strange and has lots of cats, and Oliver follows people, he likes to say. Claude always loses things. And of course, dog Sludge helps solve the mysteries! Because we’ve listened to all the Nate the Great audio books over and over, Michael often quotes from these books.
Here’s Michael’s review of “Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize.” He appears, along with his friend, Mia, age 13, who introduced him to the series. Brace yourself for lots of silliness–along with plenty of detail about the book:
And here’s his review of “Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine.” In this case, he appears with his friend, Emily:
And…he also reviewed “Nate the Great and the Big Sniff,” along with Mia:
To all the boy-and-dog mystery lovers out there: What do you think of Nate the Great? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com!
And be sure to check out Michael’s own boy-and-dog books at BashAndLucy.com
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June 3, 2014
Kids’ Book Reviews Teach Communication, Public Speaking, Emotional Expression
Doing Kids’ Book Reviews Has Taught 5-Year-Old Michael Communication Skills
By Lisa Cohn
If you’ve got book lovers, teaching them how to review books has numerous advantages: They learn communications and public-speaking skills, for starters.
What’s more, book reviews can give kids an outlet for communicating their emotions about any topic that’s important to them.
For example, Michael, age 5, loves Scooby-Doo books. He’s brimming with happiness and enthusiasm as he talks to this group of first graders about two Scooby-Doo books:
Whether kids love Scooby-Doo or dogs in general, they can review a dog book and include their feelings, thoughts and opinions about their favorite Fido. Or they can review a train book and share their love of trains.
And that’s not all. Teaching kids to do book reviews prepares them for any activity that requires expressing an opinion or providing feedback and commentary.
It’s not always easy for children to communicate their opinions. Often, it comes out as “I love it!” or “I hate it!” Teaching them a review process helps them think about their opinions and express them in ways that are helpful to others.
When reviewing a book, kids should begin by saying something positive, and provide details about why they like a book. If their overall feeling is negative, by all means they can start with that feeling—depending on who they’re talking to. If they’re reviewing a friend’s work, it’s a good idea to begin by saying something positive, and then politely providing some constructive criticism.
This might sound something like, “I really like the funny parts of your book, but I think you should consider changing the last line. I don’t understand it.”
Just as important, a good book review brims with enthusiasm, feeling, and detail, like Michael’s discussion in the video above.
Learning a review process will help kids in other areas of their lives. It should help them find ways to give constructive criticism to friends and family members.
Imagine this: Instead of kids telling you, “I hate the way you make those cookies” they might learn to say, “I like the way you included chocolate chips, but next time maybe you could try to avoid burning them.”
That’s a lot of benefits to kids for learning to review books!
Learn more about our kids’ book reviews and our own children’s book, “Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence,” by visiting BashAndLucy.com
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