Our mission is to encourage a love of reading in children and re-ignite the love in you.
"There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book."
Frank Serafini
As a mother and a therapist I am constantly looking for books with "good" messages to use as bibliotherapy. I love books that teach social skills and good values. Sometimes it is hard to find books that the little ones 3-6 will identify with or sit still and listen. Many little ones struggle with manners. Its just so hard to remember all the dos and don'ts!
Hayley Rose's newest book, The Do's and Don'ts, is a winner to help reinforce the importance of good manners for the little ones. What a wonderful etiquette book! I love that it contrasts between positive and negative behavior. Not only does the story teach children what not to do it gives them an example of what to do instead. My 7 year old daughter loved the colorful illustrations. She thought the Manner Monster was very cute. Although she was sad that he had bad manners.
The Lemonman: A Party, Some Rain and Wiggleworm Lane by Natasha Ferrill
Natasha Ferrill does it again! A Party, Some Rain and Wiggleworm Lane is the second book in The Lemonman series. This time she and the Lemonman teach us about compassion, consequences and Mother Nature. Whew! Does that sound like too many lessons for one children's book? Natasha presents these lesson in a singsong, rhyming way that is not preachy. Your children will love the adorable illustrations.
I enjoyed the imaginative story. Although I don't like worms, I couldn't stop reading this story. Even my 11 year old loved it. An added plus are that the author uses words like: naïve, proposition, repercussions, eccentric and absurd in the story. My 6 year old loved learning what these words meant ( Do the lessons in the story ever end?).
I wholeheartedly recommend this story to families and children.
Manner-Man is a fun book that will teach children about good manners, being a
friend, not being a bully and standing up for what's right. These are all
lessons that our children need to hear again and again. It is written in rhyme.
Who doesn't love a book with a superhero? The awesome illustrations will keep
your children's interest. Another great book by Ms. Cannon
Synopsis
"I am strong, and my flash is bright, And I will defend you and make things all right." These are the magic words to call upon Manner-Man - a superhero who can help control bullies and teach children ways to be considerate of others. Manner-Man arrives, shouting "To the Rescue", helping children learn about sharing and warning about not 'hitting with words.' He teaches that if someone starts pushing, just shout out "not nice!" Meet the children who form the Manner-Man team and find out how to join! Manner-Man incorporates messages and characters found within some of Cannon's earlier books - helping children learn how to cope with bullies and look within themselves for their inner superhero!
Looking for new children's books? Want to suggest children's books your family loves? Click above and check out newest Blog Hop on the block, the Kid Lit Blog Hop.
Phyllis Griggs is the founder of Bob Beetle Book Bug, Inc. A non-profit children's
literacy program located in Decatur,IL. Her book, Bob Beetle Book Bug: The Magical World of Books was written to encourage children to explore the wonderful world of reading and to partake in the vast wealth of knowledge available to each one of us inside of books. The book will be given to Children FREE through her literacy program. ALL proceeds from the sales go to Bob Beetle Book Bug literacy program and helps to put books into the hands of under-served children and schools. Originally from Chicago, IL. Phyllis currently resides in Decatur IL with her husband, three children and her cat named Mystie.
What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
What lead you to write your book? My book, Bob Beetle Book Bug: The Magical World of Books, was written out of my love of reading and my desire to want to help instill that love in children.
What do you do in your spare time when you’re not writing? Read as a volunteer to children and senior citizens, yoga , dancing. Do you have any other books you are working on? If so give us a sneak peek.
Yes, Bob Beetle Book Bug: Underneath A Tree will be the second in the Bob Beetle Book Bug series of books that inspire children to spend time reading or reading to others.
What are your plans for the future?
To continue to grow and expand my not for profit children's literacy program to other cities and states.
What do you hope children learn from your book?
That reading is fun and gives you access to a magical world (books) where you can do and be anything you want to be ( imagination)
Tell us about the Bob Beetle Book Bug organization.
It's a not for profit children's literacy program located in Decatur ,IL that employs a fictional character (Bob Beetle Book Bug) to help inspire children through books and other items to develop a life-long love of reading and to spend time reading with their families.
How can we be involved?
There are several ways for individuals to become involved ( 1) fellow children book authors can donate autographed copy/copies of their books for Bob Beetle Book Bug to use as - giveaways to the schools and or libraries he visits, which gives the author valuable exposure while helping to get books into the hands of children and schools. (2) by purchasing a copy or copies of my book where all of the proceeds from the sales go to help support and fund our program.
What advice would you give other aspiring writers?
Believe/trust in yourself and know that everyone has a story somewhere inside of them that needs to be shared with others. Make it a priority, your number one goal to spend time reading everyday reading to and/or letting your child read to you - "Today's readers become tomorrow's Leaders"
My Review of Bob Beetle Book Bug: The Magical World of Books
What a wonderful book! Bob Beetle Book Bug: The Magical World of Books is sure
to inspire an appetite for reading in young readers. Bob Beetle is a cute,
passionate "book" bug. CUTE? Did I just call a bug cute?! I usually don't like
bugs but this one is all right with me. Bob talks directly to the readers and
takes them on a journey through the magical world of books. The book is colorful
and written in a way all children can understand. Bob's passion for books is
depicted on every page. It is humorous and sure to make children giggle. As a
voracious reader Bob is my new best friend, although I cannot join him in
snacking on book pages! :)
All proceeds from the book go to Bob Beetle
Book Bug non-profit organization to help the organization reach out to children
everywhere and encourage them to explore the magic of reading.
*A free
copy of this book was given to me for a honest review. No other compensation was
provided for this review
The Large Rock and the Little Yew by Gregory Ahlijian is an uplifting story of survival about a little yew tree who is trapped in the crack of a large rock. The little yew is determined to find sunlight., soil and water so that it can survive. The large rock is rude, pessimistic and inhospitable. Despite the large rock trying to destroy the little yew tree's dreams of survival by insisting that it will never survive its less than ideal circumstances, it continues to believe that it is unique, valuable and can grow strong. The book is beautifully illustrated by Janna Roselund.
The lesson illustrated by the determination and willpower of the little yew tree is that anyone can achieve their dreams no matter the overwhelming odds and hostile environments that they may be in. The little yew and the large rock are located in Wakehurst, United Kingdom. People travel to see a large rock encased within the roots of a majestic yew.
100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to Jasper Mountain Center, a nonprofit treatment center, in Oregon, that addresses the needs of emotionally disturbed children and their families. On April 9th, he presented the center with a check in the amount of $30,000!
Gregory Ahlijian has been a mentor at the Jasper Mountain facility since 2008. He has worked in the field of arboriculture for over 30 years. He teaches the children at the center bout nature, trees, character development and poetry. The children of Jasper Mountain were the inspiration for this uplifting story of perserverance and hope. He says that his goal is "..to inspire the child's sense of self-worth by creatively and effectively teaching the components of good character and illustrating them with examples present in everyday activities."
Sherrill does it again! She has written another great book that will teach children morals in an enjoyable, non preachy way. Gimme-Jimmy is beautifully rhymed story about a bully named Jimmy. He snatches and takes what is not his. He never asks. He is very rude and always demanding "Gimme". He learns a valuable lesson when his hand swells to an enormous size. He must be polite and not say "Gimme" for his hand to return to its normal size.
My favorite part is Jimmy's New Polite Rule:
"To try to treat others as I'd like to be,
To try to see things the way others might see,
To try to be helpful, and do what is right,
And to try at all times to be very polite!"
The illustrations, as always, are excellent. I have used this in therapy with my young clients and one of my four year old clients now wants to read it every session. We say the polite rule and she chimes in very loudly the last word of every sentence. Great job, Ms Cannon!
I am extremely disappointed with this book. I typically don't write reviews on "popular" books or write one star reviews, but the author had me really invested in the series with the 1st two books. Man, what a disappointing letdown! If it had been the 1st book I would never had read the others. It seemed rushed. I lost all the interest and care I had for the characters. In fact I pretty much disliked them all. There was one well developed character and he was killed in one unemotional sentence. ( I almost missed it.) This happens at least one other time with another important character. I understand the anti war message but it seemed to overtake the story. There was endless dying and hopelessness. Yes, I know that it is a part of war.
Truthfully, the story was not well written. Was it even written by Ms. Collins? I am not saying this because I did not like the ending ( I liked who she ended up with but not how). I struggled not to skim. I wanted to skip chapters they were so dry. I feel like I could have skipped 3 chapters and 4 pages and ended up at the same place....Katniss, crying, hiding, running, blacking out or sleeping in the hospital.
Katniss seems so dead inside. Even the Gale vs Peeta was not exciting. It seemed like the author was just putting up with the characters to get to her true end...making sure we received her heavily crammed down our throats anti war propaganda. I found myself very confused most of the time. The only reason I finished the book was because I wanted to see what happened to the characters I grew to care about in the 1st two books. I would have rather stopped at "Catching Fire" and made up my own ending.
I'm not sure this book should even be a YA, it is depressing and hopeless. Even the ending, which I guess is supposed to give some sense of hope, doesn't ring true. I respectfully demand a rewrite! Ms. Collins, take your time and stay true to your characters so that this can be a triology that we want to read over and over. I'm not sure I will even read the 1st two again since I know that the third book brings so much hopelessness and depression. The good thing is when this book makes it to the movies it will possibly be changed for the better because I don't see how anyone could watch such a dark, depressing movie for two hours.
P.S. I am not bashing her work. I would never bash another author's work. I am just so disappointed I needed to get it out somehow!
Although clinical depression is often thought of as an adult disease, it can affect children as well. Unfortunately, children may not have the maturity to understand what is happening to them, or they may feel powerless to change their situation, so they don’t speak up about what they are going through. It is up to adults to be on the lookout for signs of trouble, and recognize when a child needs help.
What to Watch For – Potential Warning Signs of Depression in Children:
Sadness, hopelessness, loss of pleasure or interest, anxiety, turmoil (anger outbursts)
Difficulty organizing thoughts (concentrating), extreme negativity, worthlessness and guilt, helplessness, feelings of isolation, thoughts of suicide
Changes in appetite or weight, sleep disturbances, sluggishness, agitation
Avoidance and withdrawal, clingy and demanding behavior, excessive activity, restlessness, self-harm
What to do:
Don’t minimize your child’s feelings, and reassure him child that depression is not something to be ashamed about –Some people have a hard time recovering from being sad.
Work hard to cultivate trust and communication with your child and be aware of the impact your own responses in life are having on your child. You are your child’s coping instructor.
Allow your child the right to feel depressed and teach him that asking for help is ok – If he thinks depression is bad or not ok, he may try to hide his feelings from you.
Tell your child the truth and give him time to grieve. By being honest, you are allowing your child to work through the pain.
Pay attention to the length of your child’s symptoms. If the symptoms linger for an extended period of time, or if you see severe changes in your child’s personality, seek professional help.
Although suicide in children is rare, it does happen. Take it very seriously if your child says or acts like he wants to die.
If your child is experiencing frequent signs of depression that last for extended periods of time, it is crucial that you seek professional help. Children who are experiencing signs of depression do not automatically need medication. Many children will respond to therapy alone. If you are uncertain where to seek help, contact your child’s school counselor or your family physician for a referral.
Julia Cook is a national award winning children’s author and parenting expert. The purpose of her books is to enter the worldview of children and teach them to become life-long problem solvers. Her latest book: Blueloon is a creative story about a sad little balloon who is suffering from depression. With help from the wise rock, Blueloon learns what he can do to “bounce back” to being the way he used to be – bright, round , and full with a very straight string! Finally! A book on depression that works for Blueloons of all ages! Available at www.juliacookonline.com (and amazon.com)
Would you like to WIN a copy of Blueloon? Julia will give away TEN (10) copies. Just leave a comment here! If you use the anonymous feature be sure to type your name. Winners will be chosen by random.org on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.
I've been MIA for a little bit but I am slowly coming back. I will begin posting author interviews and book reviews within the next 3 weeks. I'm also looking forward to having some guest bloggers visit with us.
I am now having two new books illustrated. "The Worry Glasses: Overcoming Anxiety & "My Warp Speed Mind: Managing ADHD (cover coming soon). I'm really excited about these books. They have both been endorsed by a child psychiatrist (really cool).
I just thought I would check in and say hello. Hello! I really hope you have been reading everyday. I can't wait to start sharing with you all the wonderful books that have come my way! TTYL ❤ Donalisa
