Lady Emma in her Land of Wonder by Martha M. Harrison

 

Lady Emma in her Land of Wonder is a beautifully illustrated story written in rhyme. We follow  Emma, a young girl, as she fearlessly explores her world. We watch as she blossoms, matures and grows in self confidence. Throughout her journey she experiences many obstacles and gets into scrapes from which her father quickly "rescues" her. Later, she meets a prince who also tries to "rescue" her.  At first this worried me, her father/prince constantly running to her aid. Towards the end of the story, Emma realizes that she has a strong support system she can turn to when she needs help but she has the inner strength to face any obstacles.
This is a beautiful book about a young girl blossoming into a young lady. I received this quite a few months ago. My 8 year old daughter took it before I could read it and wouldn't give it back. Then it went missing. Turns out it spoke to her so much that she had taken it to school and was letting her friends borrow it. I finally received it back at the end of the school year. If that isn't a great recommendation, I don't know what is.

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Visit Dr. Martha Harrison's Website

Lady Emma In Her Land Of Wonder is Dr. Martha Harrison's first children's book in a series of six. Dr. Martha M. Harrison’s previous books have all had an academic focus on language play, reading, children’s books, and the integration of the arts across the curriculum. She has trained over 2000 teachers in teaching reading and writing to children and young adults in grades K-12 and served as a designer of reading and writing curriculum and assessments for the State Departments of Education in Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida and California. For the past two decades, her passion for literacy has guided her teaching of children’s and young adult literature and her successful authoring and implementation of reading and writing curriculum in education. She is a member of the Association of Children’s Literature (AChL) and the International Reading Association (IRA). Her scholarly articles have been published in Florida English Journal, a scholarly journal of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); The New Advocate, a scholarly journal For Those Involved with Young People and Their Literature; and the National Education Association Library Series (NEA). She has conducted numerous workshops on comparing the works of Maurice Sendak and Theodor S. Geisel, “Dr. Seuss”. She is currently teaching a course on Arts Integration Across the Curriculum at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California near San Francisco. Among her many scholarly publications is an early 1990 article entitled Teaching Thinking Skills to Gifted Children Using Children’s Literature and The Arts.
* Author information taken from Goodreads


  *Disclosure: This product was received in exchange for an honest, unbiased, review. The reviews and or opinions are 100% my own. No monitory compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising

KD Novelties Personalized Children's Book Review

 

I'm really excited about the book I'm reviewing today. This one is from KD Novelties. They sell personalized books and gifts  My two daughters already have a personalized book that they received a few years back and they loved it. So I was excited to receive one for my son, David.

KD Novelties offers personalized children's books, personalized music, personalized photo DVDs, personalized photo books and gift sets! They have a great selection:
Adventure
Baby Books
Disney Books
Educational
Fantasy
Holiday & Religious
Sesame Street
Sports
Super Heroes

What I really love is that you can read each book and insert your child's name into it to see  if you like it. David is almost 2 years old, so we were going to order a baby book about going to the potty. It was adorable. He saw a book with a soccer ball on it while I was looking through the sports books. He was adamant that he wanted the "socca ball book".  Although the book is too old for him, I got it anyway because I was able to add his sister Genesis as his favorite player, and Daddy, Mommy and Jadyn (sister) were also mentioned in the book.

The book was delivered two days later (thanks to Amazon Prime & also KD Novelties' speedy service). My 8 year old loved being the soccer star in the book and my 13 year got a giggle at hearing her name also. David kept asking, "Mommy, Daddy socca game?" When reading it to him we skipped some pages and got to the part about him scoring the goal. He jumped up and down on the bed screaming "David goal! David goal!"  It was probably not a good idea for a bedtime story.

The point of the review is my 8 year old loved it, my 13 year old won't admit it but she did as well. I caught my husband grinning when I snuck a peek and I know that when David is finally able to read it he will also get a big kick out of it as well. I caught my 8 year old reading last night. She asked me to order another book with her name it.

Visit KD Novelties to check out their awesome personalized products. You can click this link or one of the 100 other links I posted.

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 *Disclosure: This product was received in exchange for an honest, unbiased, review. The reviews and or opinions are 100% my own. No monitory compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising

Hansel and Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist (Fairy Ability Tales) by Jewel Kats

Hansel and Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist (Fairy Ability Tales)
 by Jewel Kats Illustrated by Claudia Marie Lenart

Hansel and Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist is a reworking of the classic Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. Hansel is a 5 year old boy with Down Syndrome. The story is written to show children to look past disabilities and see the person. Sometimes it felt like an adult was talking instead of Hansel and his sister. Hansel was very verbal. I believe the author wrote it this way to dispel stereotypes people have of children with Down Syndrome. I’m all for books that empower and dispel stereotypes.

What brought the book to another level were the photos of fiber artist Claudia Marie Lenart’s very unique needle felted wool creations. They are absolutely beautiful and give the book a dreamlike, fairy tale quality. My 8 year old and 13 year old spent time studying each picture after we read the book.

Ms. Kats has written several books about disabilities. She has been internationally celebrated for her books. I will be checking out her other books. I recommend anyone that wants to read a story that  may engage you and your child in a positive discussion about Down Syndrome to read this book.

You can learn more about Jewel Kats and buy her books at Amazon .

*Disclosure: This product was received in exchange for an honest, unbiased, review. The reviews and or opinions are 100% my own. No monitory compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising

SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING by Vivian Kirkfield

 

SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING by Vivian Kirkfield

 

Do you constantly find yourself asking, “What shall we do today?” Well, ask no more. SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING by Vivian Kirkfield, is a creative gold mine of resources for parents, grandparents, daycare workers and teachers alike. Show Me How recommends 100 picture books to read, many of them classics.  The books are matched with simple crafts and kid-friendly recipes. The book is grouped into 6 chapters. Each chapter has a different topic such as: “I Can Do It Myself’”, “I Am Really Mad Right Now”, “I'm Afraid”, “I Like Myself” and more. 

This book is a must have on many levels to me. As an avid reader and supporter of engaging children in reading, I’m excited that adults have a place that offers them great book suggestions. Of course being a child and family therapist, my other favorite part of the book is that the author also includes a "positive note" that helps the caregiver recognize how reading the book, completing the craft and making the recipe, helps the child develop a positive self-image. There is also a place where the caregiver can write their own notes about each story/activity.

I will be recommending this to my friends & clients with young children. Using this book is bound to bring parents and their children closer together and foster Positive Parental Participation.

Check out Vivian Kirkfield's WEBSITE to learn more about Vivian and her book.

Frogwilla, A TreeFrog's Story by Cheri L. Hallwood- Review

 

Frogwilla, A TreeFrog's Story by Cheri L. Hallwood

 

I absolutely loved this sweet story. The story follows a young treefrog on her journey to find her family. Frogwilla, is afraid of heights and has a difficult time climbing. She is sure that disappoints her father. During a horrible storm she is separated from her parents. She must dig deep to find the courage to go places she has never been, meet other animals and do things she thought she'd never do.My 8 year old loves that she made new friends different than herself and that they were loyal and helpful.
This is a beautifully written story about love, courage, friendship and being kind to others even if they are mean to you. I highly recommend it and so does my eight year old. In fact, she has gotten her 13 year old sister to take a peek.

Want to know more about Cheri L. Hallwood? Click HERE to read her interview.

MICE & SPIDERS & WEBS...OH MY! by Sherrill Cannon review

MICE & SPIDERS & WEBS...OH MY! by Sherrill Cannon

Where can one find a story about having good listening skills, facing one's fears, not jumping to conclusions and basic computer lingo all in one book? Why in the newest Sherrill Cannon book, MICE & SPIDERS & WEBS...OH MY! That's where.

In this charming, eloquently rhymed story, Rosie tells her mom that she doesn't want to go back to school because there will be mice, spiders & spider webs. I wouldn't want to either!!! Yuck! Rosie's mom takes her to school to figure out what is going on.

Sherrill, once again, expertly weaves a beautiful tale packed full of life lessons that teaches without preaching. Kalpart's illustration are beautiful and bright.

As always, I highly recommend Ms. Cannon's book. I recommend it as a mother and as children's and family therapist. Both my children & clients enjoyed this book immensely.

Want to know more about Sherrill Cannon & her books?
Read the Interview with Sherrill Cannon
Read my reviews of other Sherrill Cannon Books