Kids Corner: A Winter Solstice Celebration by DiDi LeMay

 

Synopsis of A Winter Solstice Celebration from the authors website – A Winter Solstice Celebration” helps children and adults alike to understand how the animals feel about their planet, how humans can help and how and how humans and animals can live together in harmony. A Winter Solstice is warm story that relates to all who read it.

A Winter Solstice Celebration takes young readers deep into the forest, where they discover how seemingly harmless human activities can wreak havoc on the natural world.

About Didi LeMay: Didi lives in Toronto with her husband and her cat.  She has been involved in many aspects of children's entertainment for years.  She is currently busy writing and teaching English as a second language.  

My thoughts:  As a parent one of the things that I strive to do is to teach my little monkey about respect.  Not only respect for other people, but for the environment as well.  I'm very proud of the fact that at his young age he is already familiar with the concept.  

Some of the concepts that can be found in children's literature surprise me.  When I was presented with with a book that aims at teaching children about animals and the environment I was immediately interested.  This book was a little too advanced for my monkey as he quickly lost interest in the story.  It would certainly be appropriate for an older child.  

This story is full of imagination and is beautifully illustrated.   The animals are able to talk to Miya who tells the other villagers about the animals plight and how human actions affect them.  The animals and humans are able to come together for the celebration and work toward a common goal. 


This story is a great springboard for a conversation about the environment.  This would make a great gift for a younger reader.  


My copy of A Winter Solstice Celebration was provided by the author for participation in her blog tour.  Receipt of the book did not affect my opinion of the story and illustrations. 

Kids Corner: Once Upon a Baby Brother by Sarah Sullivan

Synopsis from Goodreads:  Lizzie loves to make up stories and tell them to anyone and everyone, even though now that her annoying baby brother, Marvin, has joined the family, no one has time to listen.  She's so full of ideas, it seems like nothing can stop her. And then one day, something does. What’s a star writer to do?
Lizzie finds inspiration where she least expects it in this funny picture book, illustrated with energy and pizzazz by award-winning artist Tricia Tusa.

My Thoughts:  This is such a cute story.  While the content was a little advanced for my little monkey, I think he'll enjoy it in the very near future.  As the oldest of three girls, I could (and can still) relate to Lizzie.  Sometimes my sisters would annoy the heck out of me when they were around, but I sure miss them when they are gone.


www.sarahsullivanbooks.com

I received this book from the author as a prize won during Book Blogger Appreciation Week. 

 

Kids Corner: The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy-Bye Stories

Summary:  A collection of bedtime stories for children young and old. 

My thoughts:  Who doesn't love a good bedtime story?  I loved them when I was a little girl sharing my Daddy's lap with my two sisters as he read any of our favorites aloud.  I loved them just a few years ago as my husband would read them to me and our unborn child.  I love them now as I read them to my own little monkey as he winds down at the end of the day.  Bedtime stories are the things that memories are made of. 

This is a clever little collection of stories with wide appeal.  They are fairly simple and have a nice rhyme pattern so that my two year old can appreciate them.  They are long enough to be interesting, but short enough to hold a young child's attention.  They would work for a bedtime read along with a beginning reader.  The illustrations are colorful and incorporate shapes to go along with the featured story.   

The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy Bye Stories would be a wonderful addition to any child's home library.

In case you missed it yesterday, Carolyn dropped by Teresa's Reading Corner and will be doing so again today.  Please take a moment to make a comment or ask a question on yesterday's Guest Post and today's review post to be entered to win your own copy of The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy-Bye Stories.

Disclosure:  My copy of The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy Bye Stories by Carolyn Wolfe was provided to me by the author and Pump up Your Book promotions. 

Guest Post from Children's Author Carolyn Wolfe and a Giveaway

About Carolyn Anne Wolfe

Carolyn Anne Wolfe is an author and free-lance writer whose body of work includes four previously published books, poetry, short stories and a number of newspaper articles and editorials. Wolfe is an animal and human rights activist as well as a vegetarian and these beliefs are strongly reflected in her writing. She lives with her husband and many animal companions in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Five Reasons Why You Wanted to Write Children’s Books.

First and foremost I am an Aunt who loved reading to my young nieces and nephews and created stories that I hoped would amuse them! When they grew up, I had the memories of the fun I had reading the stories to them.

The second reason is that I now have a new little niece Jillian, actually she is just turning five this May and I had a chance to re-write and re-awaken the stories that had lain dormant for so long. Bringing the book back to life for her, made me want to share the stories with everyone! That is when "The Bedtime Of The Sky and Other Sleepy-Bye Stories" was created.

The third reason is that I am a Substitute teacher and have enjoyed reading books that focused on happy, light stories that had a message in them but were not heavy handed about it. I wanted to write stories like that.

The fourth reason is that I loved to read stories in verse as a child and love poetry as an adult. I would like to introduce poetry and verse to children in the hope that they will enjoy it as much as I did!

The fifth reason is that I love reading about fantasy and magical adventures myself and wanted to share the magic with children. Children are so receptive and imaginative and it is a beautiful thing to see them absorbed in a good bookFive Reasons Why You Wanted You Wanted to Write Children’s Books

And now CONTEST  to start off this shortened work week.  

Contest Guidelines

Today we are starting the month with a book contest, (Sept 7). Our guest author is Carolyn Wolfe, author of The Bedtime of the Sky and Other Sleepy-Bye Stories and she will be visiting today, Sept 7 and tomorrow, Sept 8. She is on a virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book and we will be giving away a copy of her book at the end of virtual book tour. Winners will be picked and notified no later than Monday, September 20, 2010.

To become eligible to win, all you have to do is ask a question or leave a comment, today, and tomorrow.  One lucky reader who comments with their email address is put in a pot to win the book.

To recap:   

·     ask a question or leave a comment on both Tuesday, Sept 7  and Wednesday, Sept 8 

·     leave your email address

·     sign up for our email updates, (optional) 

You can also find Carolyn at  www.whenthemoonspeaks.com

Blog Address: www.whenthemoonspeaks.com

A big thank you to Carolyn for spending the next two days chatting with us at Teresa's Reading Corner.  I am really looking forward to the questions my fabulous readers come up with!  

Kids Corner: A Big, Big Dream by Michael Scott Roberts

Did somebody say Chocolate?  I'm a simple girl, I prefer a plain old Hershey's Milk Chocolate with almonds over Godiva.  When I saw that this children's book was the story of Milton Hershey I was overjoyed.  


Children receive so many different messages on a daily basis.  As parents we can control some of them, but not all of them.  I try to make sure that my little monkey receives more positive ones than negative ones.  


While this story is a bit over his head, he enjoys looking at the pictures and knows what chocolate is.  The story reinforces dreaming big and going for your goals which is something even us "grown ups" need to be reminded of now and again.


Disclosure:  I received my copy of A Big, Big Dream through AME Marketing.  This is my honest opinion of the book. 

Kids Corner: Short Circus by Stephen V. Masse

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Back to school, but not so fast! Jem Lockwood's first assignment is to write a composition on what he did during the summer, and he tells the teacher he could write a book. Short Circus is Jem's own story about his remarkable adventures with his Big Brother, Jesse Standish, and a host of neighbors and friends, plus a mysterious enemy who keeps sabotaging the swimming pond. There are bike jumping contests, fistfights, motorbikes, visits to seaside towns for festivals, and swimming in a waterfall. What begins as a glorious summer is very nearly ruined when Jem discovers that his Big Brother's rented house is about to be sold, and Jesse Standish may be forced to move away.

Recommended Age Range: 9-14

My thoughts:
I could see little monkey reading this in several years. I don't see that it is "specifically" targeted at boys, but since the main characters are all young boys I have a feeling that boys would appreciate it more than girls.

As a child it seemed like we had to write the "What I did over the summer" composition every year upon returning to school. Short Circus is Jem Lockwood's description of his summer. I liked Jem Lockwood, he was curious and a bit mischievous without being overly troublesome. Jem lives with his mother and older brother Chris. It is never explained why Jem's father is not in the picture nor is it relevant to the story. Masse introduces Jem's "Big Brother" which helps to associate the younger reader with the idea of a non traditional family if they aren't already familiar with it. Jem tells us of his adventures with his friends, his brother Chris and his "Big Brother" Jesse.

The story reminded me of those long ago, carefree summers that I think we all miss once we join the adult world. That's probably why so many of us dive back into these stories meant for a younger audience, they remind us of our youth which is something we should never forget.

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of Short Circus by the publicist in order to participate in this blog tour. Being provided a copy did not influence my review in any way. This is my honest opinion of Short Circus.

Kids Corner: Elmo's Mother Goose

I can't tell you how many times we've read this one recently.  Its usually several times in a row.  Basically it is a take on Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.  Yes, they are a bit cheesy, but monkey likes them so we keep on reading.  Lots of counting and funny voices are involved in this one.  It is worth checking out.

Kids Corner Blog Tour: Jack's Dreams Come to Life by Sara Jackson

Today I am participating in a Blog Tour for Jack's Dreams Come to Life by Sara Jackson.  I am always looking for new books for little monkey so I jumped at the opportunity to review this one.

This book was beautifully illustrated.  This family of dog lovers wanted to cuddle with each one of them.  The story starts out with Jack romping around his ranch looking for something to do.  Doing the things that dogs do, Jack has great fun playing with a stick that turns out to be a snake, and nosing a ball that turns out to be a turtle.  I could have read an entire book about these adventures to Monkey.  The story changes directions at this point.  Jack won't play with the other two dogs because they are puppies and dismisses them in favor of a nap.  It is during this nap that Jack's Dreams come to life. He dreams of a five foot tall squirrel, falling down a hole and squeaky toys circling around him.  He gets into a barking/quacking competition with his toy duck. 

The story is full of imagination and might be enjoyed by an older child, but was a bit too abstract for the monkey. 

Disclosure:  I was provided a free copy of this book by the publicist in exchange for my honest review.

 

Kids Corner: Wild Animal Baby

Wild Animal Baby is a publication put out by The National Wildlife Federation.  Little Monkey's aunt purchased a subscription for him for his first birthday.  He looks forward to this child friendly magazine's arrival.  Each month a different animal is featured on the cover.  It is not only entertaining, but educational.  Monkey has learned about so many different animals since he started reading these. He has read each edition numerous times. 

The subscription is $19.95 for a year with a bonus gift of a baby dish set (which monkey loves).  When your child outgrows the baby edition, there is another level although we haven't explored it yet as we are still enjoying Wild Animal Baby.   Click over there, its worth checking out.

Kids Corner: The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

The Very Busy Spider came to us as part of monkey's Easter basket. I'm learning that you can't really go wrong with anything by Eric Carle. On several occasions monkey has picked this one up and can read it to us based on the pictures. I absolutely love that.

The illustrations are typical of Carle's works and the story is lyrical. These are the reason why these books are so wildly popular with the little ones.  It is a great little board book for the toddler set.

Kids Corner: Nursery Rhyme Treasury

This book recently came into our home with the celebration of the little monkey's second birthday. He is at the stage where he repeats EVERYTHING so nursery rhymes are very appropriate.

Its a collection of nursery rhymes broken down into categories. You've got the classic rhymes, counting rhymes, action rhymes, food rhymes, animal rhymes, nonsense rhymes, playground rhymes, and bedtime rhymes.

Right now our favorite is Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.

Whether you have a little one on the way or a child that is a bit older I think this one is worth picking up. It will be a favorite in your library for a long time to come.

Have I mentioned that being two years old again is great fun?

Kids Corner: Go Dogs Go by P.D. Eastman

This is another of the little monkey's favorites. He knows the story so well now that he reads along with us.

It is a simple story about dogs getting to a dog party and their different modes of transportation. They have to stop and go at the traffic light and consider other travelers.

While I have read this one several times, I don't quite have it committed to memory. It is a smaller board book suitable for tiny hands.

Like the other books that I've mentioned in my Kids Corner Posts, we've been reading this one to the monkey since he was just months old. It thrills me that he already finds the joy in reading. He often will pick up a book and bring it to one of us asking to have it read to him. He doesn't care if it is the same book over and over again, which can get a little tedious for us, but he loves it. I hope hope his love for books continues to grow as he does.

Kids Corner: Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

Goodnight Gorilla is another one of my little monkey's favorite books. It is very simple with very few words. I often find myself making up additions to the story on the pages that don't have written words. Even more amusing is when the monkey starts telling the story. Of course he's heard many variations depending on who read to him last and weaves them together to make the story his own.

The basic story follows the zookeeper closing down the zoo for the night and saying goodnight to all of the animals. As he's doing this, the entire zoo follows him home.

It is not uncommon for monkey to ask for this one to be read repeatedly in one sitting. I'm not sure how long we've been reading this one to him, probably since he was about a month old.

Kids Corner

When I was pregnant I knew that books would be a big part of our little ones life. I could remember some of the books that I enjoyed as a child, but I had no idea where to start to build our baby's collection. This is where I hope this series will help my readers. Along with my little monkey I hope to provide some guidance on what books to include in your baby and toddler library.

Our first suggestion is

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?


Little monkey absolutely loves this book. We've been reading it to him since he was a newborn and he still requests it. We have even more fun now that he can "read" along. Parents beware, it is one of those stories that you will be able to (and might have to) recite from memory.

Pick this one up, you won't regret it.