WIN “Zeus the Mighty” Prize Pack from National Geographic Kids Books #HolidayGiftGuide

December 6, 2019 by 46 Comments
Looking for a great gift for the kids this holiday season? Check out Zeus the Mighty: The Quest for the Golden Fleasby Crispin Boyer (ages 8-12, hardcover,  $12.99) This book introduces readers to the Mount Olympus Pet Center in Athens … Georgia, where Zeus the Mighty (an adorable hamster) rules over a crew of cute critters, all named after (and believing themselves to be) Greek gods and goddesses. By day, Zeus — a tiny, overconfident hamster with a mighty appetite for power — and his gaggle of gods run on their exercise wheels and take catnaps. But at night these fearless furry friends bravely take on legendary mythological quests! In the series’ first thrilling adventure, Zeus the Mighty has one giant task in front of him: to find the “golden fleas” so he can solidify his position as “king of the gods.”
 
Get ready to laugh, cheer, and learn with this adorable and quirky cast of characters in their unforgettable first adventure — a reimagining of the tale of the Golden Fleece. Click here to view the fantastic book trailer. 
national geographic books
 “A center for rescued pets becomes the stage for adventures of literally mythical import in this series opener … lots of comical byplay … A treat for proto–Percy Jackson fans.” – Kirkus
And some more Zeus fun:
* Meet the characters, play games, read an excerpt, and learn more about Greek artifacts at ZeusTheMighty.com.
* Also, check out the podcast Greeking Out available here: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/zeus-the-mighty/podcast/episodes/.
You can also follow them on social media-
* National Geographic Kids Books twitter – @NGKidsBks
* National Geographic Kids Facebook – @nationalgeographickids
* National Geographic Kids website: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
* Please use the following hashtag: #zeusthemighty
* Zeus the Mighty Booktrailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajY_qbF2fEo
One of you can win this adorable prize pack. You can buy at the link above, and you are welcome to enter to win by using the RC form below. Good luck! Ends Dec. 24, 2019.

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The Little Girl With the Big Voice

May 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment

An inspiring story about overcoming bullying and achieving dreams

 

No one wants their child to experience the torment of bullying. If they do encounter this behavior, are they prepared to handle the situation? Knowing how to cope with bullying is a much needed life skill our children must learn to successfully navigate conflict.

The Little Girl with the Big Voice, written by Wė (pronounced Way) McDonald, is a book your child can relate to and may be helpful in starting conversations regarding bullying. The book teaches valuable lessons such as how to overcome adversity, and building self confidence. Written in Wė’s own words, the book is a powerful story about a girl who courageously embraces her uniqueness and finds her voice.

The book was engaging and illustrations well-done. My niece was completely attentive and asked questions as Wė’s experiences unfolded.  The Little Girl with the Big Voice is fresh and timely. However, I believe the book could have given just a little bit more strategy on conflict resolution. The book’s focus shifted from bullying to Wė being a contestant on the television program, The Voice. Definitely two books in one, which may be good thing for some parents.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Donna Andrews

Super aunt of a 7-year-old girl

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Neema’s Reason to Smile

May 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment

A heart-warming story about a child’s desire to go to school

 The kids are little older now and the novelty of going to school has wane. I have always shared with my nieces and nephews that they should not take education for granted … that going to school should not be a chore as there are many children in this world who would love the opportunity to learn how to read, write, and fuel their imaginations. However, they are unable to attend school because they cannot afford clothing, supplies, and books.

Neema’s Reason to Smile, written by Patricia Newman, is a vibrant and lyrical tale of a young Kenyan girl, named Neema, who dreams of going to school. We learn about Neema’s young life and how she must work selling fruit instead of receiving an education. She saves her coins in hopes of one day having enough money to pay for school, but it is one step forward two steps back for young Neema. One day Neema spots a little girl heading to school and follows her.  She ends up at a school and witnesses a learning environment she had only dreamed of. School was everything she thought it would, but alas, it was not meant to be for Neema; so she thought. For young readers, I believe this book is about responsibility to family, kindness and reciprocity. Although this story is considered fiction, the story is based on the real-life students at Jambo Jipy School in Kenya.

The book was engaging and illustrations well-done. My niece and nephew were attentive (with an occasional distraction as the family dog passed by). They asked questions about Africa, and found it sad that there are kids too poor to go to school.  My niece and nephew cheered when a teacher invited Neema to attend her class.  So, this little book was a reality check for them.

A couple of drawbacks I noticed included a few too many high-level words and harsh description of the “beggar”.

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

Donna Andrews

Super aunt of a 7-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy

 

 

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Win Sci-Fi Junior High Prize Pack #ad #SciFiJuniorHigh

March 12, 2017 by 41 Comments

Disclosure- This post is written in partnership with Jimmy Patterson.

About the Book

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this gleefully illustrated space adventure is a laugh on every page. That’s a lot of laughs!

Kelvin Klosmo isn’t just the new kid at school – he’s the new kid in the galaxy! Welcome to Sci-Fi Junior High: an inter-galactic space station with students of all shapes, sizes, smells, and… slime content. As the son of Earth’s two most famous geniuses, Kelvin isn’t just the smartest kid in the world….he’s the smartest kid in the UNIVERSE. At least, that’s what everybody at Sci-Fi Junior High thinks.
So, maybe Kelvin lied a little about being a genius to fit in. And maybe a mad scientist is about to take over the universe unless Kelvin can stop him. Maybe everyone is doomed.
Well, at least Kelvin won’t have to worry about math homework anymore.
Sci-Fi Junior High is an out-of-this-world story about friendship, accepting our differences, and the fight against evil… bunnies. Yes, evil bunnies – don’t ask.

About the Authors

Scott Seegert is the author of the Vordak the Incomprehensible series. He lives in Farmington, MI with his wife, Margie, and their three children.

John Martin is an illustrator, graphic artist, and website designer. He is the illustrator for the Vordak the Incomprehensible series. He lives in Farmington Hills, MI, with his wife, Mary, and their three children.

You can follow online and on social media.

Visit jimmypatterson.org

Follow Jimmy Patterson on Twitter +  Instagram + Facebook

Follow John Martin on Twitter +  Facebook

Follow Scott Seegert on Twitter +  Facebook

Hashtag #SciFiJuniorHigh

One winner will receive the below prize package- ends April 1, 2017.

Smartest Kid in the Universe!

One (1) winner receives:

  • Copy of Sci-Fi Junior High
  • Kid’s telescope to explore the galaxy

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“Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” children’s book

February 13, 2017 by 1 Comment

great books for girls

“Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” is a children’s book packed with bedtime stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women from the past and the present—from Queen Elizabeth I to Serena Williams, Frida Kahlo to Julia Child, Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Amelia Earhart—and illustrated by 60 female artists from all over the world.

Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo realized that 95% of the books and TV shows they grew up with, lacked girls in prominent positions. They did some research and discovered that this didn’t change much over the past 20 years, so they decided to do something about it.

Instead of waiting for their princes to come like the women in typical fairy tales, these game-changing women are influencing the world themselves.

Relocating from Milan, Italy to California, Elena Favilli had been working as a journalist and Francesca Cavallo as a stage director and playwright. Their entrepreneurial journey made them understand how important it is for girls to grow up surrounded by female role models. It helps them to be more confident and set bigger goals.

Favilli and Cavallo, co-founders of Timbuktu Labs and creators of the first iPad magazine for children, made crowdfunding history by attracting more dollars than any other children’s book. It has raised over $1 million from 20,000 backers through its Kickstarter campaign and Indiegogo InDemand book-ordering campaign.

The book, for ages 5 to 8, offers great source of inspiration for anyone, male or female, child or adult.

Favilli told The Huffington Post she felt encouraged to start the project after she wrote an op-ed for The Guardian about being a woman and a tech start-up founder in Silicon Valley and facing abuse online. “I decided that my next project would be something designed to empower young women,” she said.

“Gender stereotypes permeate every aspect of our culture,” Favilli said. “We constantly urge ourselves to ‘lean in’ and books on female empowerment proliferate on our shelves…but they come far too late. Parents are offered little resources to counter this trend and we want to do something about it.”

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The Tuttle Twins and The Road to Surfdom

January 4, 2017 by Leave a Comment

We recently read the book “The Tuttle Twins and The Road to Surfdom” by Connor Boyack. I was intrigued, as I don’t think schools do a very good job on educating children about history, the government, or civics- and heck, most don’t offer civics or geography at all. It was replaced a few decades ago by the blanket “Social Studies”,  and as a result Americans are terrible at geography, world history, domestic history, and civic issues. Many don’t include much (if any) real information on how our government works, certainly not enough that most American children have any kind of grasp of how things work or what is involved. I am always excited to see anything to help educate children about these issues.

However, I found this book to be very heavy handed, biased, and repetitive. It also focused on a strange topic- building a new road and the unintended consequences that occurred for an imagined beach town- to portray how terrible it is to have any government involvement in life. Government is necessary, in my opinion. We just need better control of it- which would start with better educated Americans/children who know what the government is and does, and how and why it works they way it does. These super gung-ho kids and their just-happened-to-be-InternetFamous (and suited up at the beach) Uncle were there to spend their vacation interviewing shop owners and farmers who all morosely agreed on the same sad opinion. Bad ‘ol road.

Where things like that can indeed be disastrous to people, and proper planning is a must- does the author thing we should build no new roads? Not relieve traffic congestion? Do away with government agencies like the EPA and the FDA for example? The answer is yes. After visiting his site, he’s really down for very little government involvement- much less then I feel is appropriate for the world we live in.

But that’s the beautiful thing about America. We get to have out own opinions. This book is about his. This post is about mine.

Below, I’ve posted information about the book from the publisher, and links to buy as well as to the authors website and social media.

And now, you get to make your own opinion. Read on, my friends.

From The Publisher

“How do you describe liberty to a 7-year-old? Should your preteen care about the government? Are your kids learning about proper political principles in school? For too long, parents have been at the mercy of professional curriculum developers to instruct their children. History is watered down, key principles omitted altogether, and time and attention given to things of lesser importance.

With the creation of The Tuttle Twins and The Road to Surfdom, Libertas Institute president and father of two Connor Boyack is looking to assist parents in properly educating their children. This fun and unique new book aims to inform young readers about the importance of limited government. The book also offers:

  • A resource for parents to quickly understand this complex issue so they can more effectively discuss it with their children
  • Vital information not usually taught in schools that can help children grow into better, more engaged citizens
  • Insight into how central planning often has unintended consequences
  • Engaging illustrations and charming characters
  • An introduction to F.A. Hayek’s famous text, The Road to Serfdom

Connor Boyack is president of Libertas Institute, a free market think tank. In that capacity he has spearheaded successful policy reforms on property rights, civil liberties, parental rights, education reform, government transparency, and more. He is the author of ten books on economics, education, politics, and society, and has written hundreds of columns on these subjects for newspapers around the country. Boyack serves on the board of the Utah Home Education Association and is a popular speaker at conferences around the country. He teaches several classes to teens in his home state and along with his wife, homeschools his two young children in Salt Lake City, Utah.”

The Road to Surfdom is available at TuttleTwins.com/Surfdom. For more information about The Tuttle Twins series and Connor Boyack, visit www.TuttleTwins.com.

Connect with the author on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cboyack
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/cboyack
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5059415.Connor_Boyack
Instagram: http://instagram.com/connorboyack 

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Piper Was Afraid – Kids Book and Plush Toy

November 14, 2016 by 1 Comment

kids book

What’s better then a cute kid’s book? One that comes complete with a stuffed animal of it’s hero, of course. Piper, an Irish Wolfhound, was afraid. Of other dogs, of storms- of pretty much everything. Big a dog as Piper was, he was just a scaredy cat. What will Piper do?

“Piper Was Afraid! Piper is the main character of the children’s book Piper was Afraid. He is a cute and cuddly companion that helps children be brave… especially at bed time. Piper comes with an adoption certificate as well as instructions on what to do if Piper gets scared! “Piper was Afraid” is based on a real Irish Wolfhound named “Inspirations Bagpiper of Blackwatch” or Piper for short. He is a rescue dog and was adopted by the owners of The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, Va.”

Check out the Inn at www.innatwillowgrove.com and don’t forget to tag your photos of Piper with @piperwasafraid to get featured on his instagram page- and who doesn’t want that?  Interaction with the real Piper. Well….his people, anyway.

My son got a kick out of Piper, and my guess is your children will as well. Even the very youngest kids will not have a problem following along this simple book with an easy, and relateable theme. Most kids get scared now and again- if a big dog like Piper can get scared (and learn to be brave), then they can feel better about it, themselves. Maybe they will feel like trying something new as well, and having a “brave” moment, just like Piper. Plush Piper can go along on adventures with your child as well, or just snuggle in for a story and bedtime.

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Adorable Handcrafted Plush Dog is available with it’s hardcover book. The Piper stuffed toy comes with an adoption certificate, the kids get a kick out of that.
Piper’s soft, shaggy fur feels like a real Irish Wolfhound.
Get your set today in time for the holidays! Order at http://rebekahphillips.com/features/

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Children’s Book – Mr. Dog’s Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn

December 24, 2015 by 2 Comments

Award-winning illustrator Adam McCauley, whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, has contributed vintage-inspired illustrations to a new release of an out-of-print Christmas tale that dates back to 1898. “Mr. Dog’s Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn” (That’s So Enterprises) will be a great addition to your child’s book collection, and it’s so sweet for this time of year.

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Written by American author Albert Bigelow Paine, best known as the contemporary and biographer of Mark Twain, the classic children’s tale has been out of print for decades.
Now, over a century later, award-winning illustrator Adam McCauley (“The Monsterologist: A Memoir In Rhyme”) and publisher Betsy Cordes have collaborated to republish an elegant edition that features over 30 richly detailed illustrations and is bound in brilliant red cotton hardcover embossed with golden calligraphy.
The 36-page book tells the tale of clever Mr. Dog’s antics, as he introduces the animal residents of the Hollow Tree Inn to the human traditions of Christmas with wit and whimsy.

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“Mr. Dog’s Christmas” makes a perfect Christmas gift for children, and a great item for adults who want to pass the holiday spirit of their childhood to the next generation. You can pick up your copy here!  It’s really cute, and your children will love having you read it to them.

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