fab middle grade reading series.

I LOVE Amelia Bedelia, always have, so you can understand my excitement when Hermann Perish came out with Amelia Bedelia: Road Trip, because you know how much I love road trips as well. Basically, Amelia's dad gets a bonus at work and the family decides to drive around their state on a road trip. Their idea is to "roam" around, not having a destination, just enjoying the ride. Miss Amelia and her parents have some pretty funny misunderstandings between them, giving your middle readers some comic relief and a super cute tale with the appropriate amount of vocabulary to make them smarter. And Lynne Avril kicks ass with the illustrations. Win, win, win, win.

what makes a baby? uhh...well you see...umm...

When I decide to procreate, I'm not sure if I am terrified of or excited for the inevitable "Where do baby's come from?" question. You can go in a lot of different directions with your response. You can get super creative, you can get a little graphic, gets some diagrams out, you can show a crazy video that scars your child for life...it's your choice, I like that.

For those of you who would like to remain politically correct in this crazy mixed up world of ours, I recommend What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg. It's a children's picture book that covers the whole baby making situation with an appropriate amount of vagueness when it comes to the people who actually make the baby. Focusing on the sperm and the egg individually and what their jobs are, not who has what part. It's designed for every kind of family, and every kind of kid, so no one is left out. It gives the traditional families a way to explain the baby making process without having their child think that a non-traditional kid in their class at school is a weirdo. And if you think that kids don't discuss this stuff with each other, you are crazy. No matter what the age, they talk.

I especially enjoyed the pages with the questions: "Who helped bring together the sperm and the egg that made you?" and "Who was happy that it was YOU who grew?" This gives parents a moment to discuss their individual situation, whatever that may be. I think it's extremely important for children to realize that not every child is born into this world the same way, with the same types of families. If you begin teaching your children these lessons at a young age, I truly believe that it will make them more tolerant of different people and less inclined to bully. Also, Silverberg made answering that inevitable question super easy and not even remotely uncomfortable.

how cute is mike the knight?

I love a good children's book. More importantly I love a good children's series. Kids need consistency. If they decide that they love a character in a book, and then never see them again, it's very sad. What I love even more than all of these things is when a children's television series comes out with books. We all know that kids love watching TV, I think it's nice to have the option to bribe them with a book instead every once in a while. Mike the Knight, which airs on Nick Jr. has been made into a variety of reading books, as well as activity and sticker books.

Mike is a ten-year-old knight-in-training who constantly helping others always trying to be the best knight he can be. This collection of books spin off from the series, revolving around lessons such as sharing and sticking with your friends through thick and thin. Mike has a bit of a arch nemesis, Evie who unknowingly helps him learn important lessons about understanding people. Set in the medieval times in a world of magic and dragons makes this series and especially its books exciting for its fans. And Mike the Knight has proven to be an excellent role model to bring into your child infested household.

You can get to know our little hero in Meet Mike, then dive into the medieval world in Welcome to Mike's World which is filled with pages to color and activities to complete. Mike's lessons can be learned in Mike and the Dragons and Mike the Knight and the Good Deed which are filled with beautiful illustrations and one even has stickers.

**For a chance to win a free copy of Mike and the Dragons, Mike the Knight and the Good Deed, The Quest for the King's Crown, OR Adventures in Glendragon simply follow this blog then email you name, address, and the book title of your choice to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!

spice up your next baby shower gift.

"If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won't. It is better and more becoming to intimate that you will do as she bids you, and then afterward act quietly in the matter according to the dictates of your best judgement." -Mark Twain

There is more where that came from in Advice to Little Girls by Mark Twain (illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky). It is an adorable little picture book filled with the proper ways little girls should act according to Mark Twain. Very charming. I would have liked the book to be a bit longer, but that could be because I am an adult. Sort of.

revisiting fables.

I’ve noticed that my 9^th graders have a difficult time deciphering the theme of literary works. Apparently they have been taught that a theme can be a simple word, like family or responsibility, when in the land of literature, theme is a statement. A central idea or message revealed, something learned. I have taken to going back to fables to help the message finding process along.

I brought Aesop in California by Dough Hansen into the classroom recently, which got a few chuckles. Hansen includes fables such as The Grasshopper and the Ants, The Lion and the Mouse and The City Mouse and the Country Mouse, ones with obvious messages, and ties them into popular locations around California. For example, The Fox and the Grapes takes place in Napa Valley. It’s actually quite clever, and the illustrations are as gorgeous as the Golden State itself. 

For a chance to win a copy of this title, follow this blog and email your name, address and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!

a children's book with a cause.

Mimi and Maty to the Rescue!: Roger the Rat is on the Loose! is a fabulous true to life children's book that every age can get something out of. As an animal lover myself, this story spoke to me. I was the little girl who found a bird with a broken wing on the sidewalk and took it back to my dad to fix, and cried for a whole day when nothing could be done.

Author Brooke Smith  uses Mimi to demonstrate to young people about such vital subjects as compassion for all creatures, co-operating with people, and learning responsibilities and how to act responsibly. This inspiring adventure and the illustrations by Alli Arnold tie everything together in a nice bow.


**For a chance to win a FREE copy of this book, email your name, address and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!

great message.

I hope you all had a great first day of school. Today was my first day, in my own classroom, with my name outside of the door and everything. It went freakishly well. I love working in a small school district. Not quite as many hood rats.

As a parent, you all want to set the right examples for your children. As a teacher, I want to set the right examples for my students, even at the 9th grade level. Even if the crazy has already set in. I want them to look at me, and see kindness and goodness. For this to work, I have to actually be kind and good. Another one of my work in progress things.

The Captain McFinn and Friends series of children's books may be too young for my students, but they are absolutely perfect for the elementary level. Each of the three books in this series has a lesson to be learned. How to be a buddy and not a bully. How to use your words and actions for a greater good. How to help the environment and each other. Themes that every child should have instilled in them. Creator Phyllis Cafaro's mission is to use these books to help children feel valued while also building their character. I think we can all agree that the youth of America needs all the help we can give them.

party all night, sleep all day.

I typically stick to the middle school when I substitute teach, but every so often I get called to go in for an elementary teacher. It's always for the youngest kids, like UPK or kindergarten, and I never know what I'm doing, because I am used to prepubescent crazies, not little babies. I have gotten used to the whole group reading thing. The kids absolutely love it. I just sit up front with a picture book, they gather around me on the rug and I reel them in with my silly voices.

A few weeks ago, I was called in for a kindergarten class. I decided to bring in HORSEPLAY! written by Karma Wilson and illustrated Jim McMullan to read the little critters before lunch. It is a story about a farmer who has seemingly lazy horses. What the farmer eventually realizes is that the horses are not lazy at all, they simply stay up all night playing and frolicking around rather than sleeping. My kids loved the read, and could totally relate, they would much rather keep on playing than go to bed.

 

***For a chance to win a copy of this super adorable book, email your name, address and this title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!

comic strips for the little ones.

The instant I saw the title The Mighty Alice, I had to have this book. You see, my grandma’s name is Alice and let me tell you, she is quite the mighty lady. I am freakishly close with her; if you think hanging out every single night of the week for approximately three hours is freakish. Whatever, I’m sure it’s normal. I'm going to give you a little example of the grandma Alice "might" which can also be construed as the grandma Alice crazy.

Yup, my grandma started smoking in her hospital room after undergoing knee replacement surgery. And people wonder where my crazy comes from. Exhibit A, friends.

The Mighty Alice: A Cul de Sac Collection by Richard Thompson is a comic strip that follows the very mischievous four-year-old, Miss Alice Otterloop. Apparently Alice is well-known for her adventurous spirit as well as her tendency to be a bit odd. Thompson does an excellent job getting into the head of a four-year-old. It’s a very cute “funny” for your preschoolers. And if your little nuggets enjoy this collection, good news, there are three more.

read to your kids. listen to me, i'm a teacher and related to abe lincoln, so listen to me twice.

The Magic Tree House series is an award-winning series of children's books written by Mary Pope Osborne. In the first series, consisting of the first 28 books, Morgan le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventues and missions with a magical tree house. Mary Pope Osborne started a second series called the Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions". In these missions, Jack and Annie have quests from the ancient wizard

In Magic Tree House #47: Abe Lincoln At Last! Jack and Annie travel to the time of the Civil War, and they must help a friend of Abe's in order to find the third gift for breaking Penny's spell, the friend, is an orphan named Sam. It's a race against time as Jack and Annie try to decide to do what is right. But they must have hope. That is what Abe was mostly known for, after all.

My advice? When your kids hit second grade, start with book one. Read to them, or listen to the audio books in the car. They'll love the adventures, learn a lot, and so will you.

KIDS EYES ALLOWED!

We are all well aware that my blog is not exactly small child appropriate. Which makes sense, because I am not small child appropriate. Yes, I do edit myself in the classroom, I am not a complete....idiot. Did you know that saying "crap," is a bad word in school? So many rules. My point, this post IS small child appropriate because it is a children's book. I have got to figure out a way to put these under a specific category.

How Do You Feed A Hungry Giant? A Munch-and-Sip Pop Up Book written by Caitlin Friedman and illustrated by Shaw Nielsen is a picture book with interactive surprises. It features eight recipes that can feed one hungry giant, eight hungry kids or two of me. Considering my taste in food is about the same as a seven year old's, I totally dig these recipes, and they are huge. A chocolate chip cookie the size of a pizza? A pasta mountain? The biggest burger in the world???? What a fricken concept, oh excuse me...what a GREAT concept.

This book is a fabulous way to get the young ones into the kitchen, where you will proceed to make a giant mess of yummy-ness for all of your hungry giants. You could probably avoid a mess if you tried, but kids covered in sauce IS pretty adorable. Says the childless twenty-six year old.

greg heffley = funny. all of the time.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is absolutely hysterical. I adore Jeff Kinney and his portrayal of Greg Heffley and his pre-teen angst. As a substitute teacher, I know for a fact that middle school aged kids enjoy reading this series. I know this because they tell me, and whenever there is a book fair at the school, all the Wimpy Kid books are gone by the end of the first day. 

In the latest installment of the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Greg goes through a lot of changes. In school, they are starting to show him all of the "you and your body are growing up" videos, which freaks him out on so many levels. Everyone is trying to talk to him about his new responsibilities, and his future. Although he does enjoy the boy/girl party aspect of growing up, he wouldn't mind if everyone just chilled out a bit.

Greg and Rowley are on the outs, which is not abnormal. This book goes deeper into Greg's relationship with his family, and the other kids at school. It's funny, mildly sarcastic, and shows the real, and ugly truths of growing up in junior high school. My favorite part? When Greg's mom hired a maid and forced everyone to clean the house BEFORE the maid came over so she didn't think they lived in a pigsty. Oh, and when Greg's mom bought snacks for the maid, and wouldn't let anyone else eat them. Oh ohhhh, and when the maid got fired for inviting all of the other maids in the neighborhood to come over and watch soap operas in the middle of the day.

Good stuff, Jeff Kinney, good stuff.

diary of a wimpy kid.

I have heard nothing but great things about this Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, so I thought I would check out Jeff Kinney's most recent book, "Dog Days." This is the type of of book that will be around forever.

It's summer vacation, weather's great, and the kids are having fun outside but our main character Greg is inside playing video games because he is an "indoor person" and refuses to go outside, not unlike a lot of kids these days. Of course his Mom has her own agenda on how to get him to participate in other activities. Written in Greg's handwriting makes this book extra cute.

The series is completely relatable and designed for the in between aged kids who have a hard time finding enjoyable books to read. Kinney combines lessons AND humor.

even though i'm 23, i can appreciate a good children's book!

I absolutely LOVED "The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School" by Laurie Halse Anderson and Ard Hoyt. It was the cutest book ever!

In this story Zoe’s wild red hair, with its many tendrils that brush her teeth, grab her clothes, and pack her lunch. Then Anderson takes a step back for a history lesson: Zoe’s hair learned to open the cookie jar at age two and could fly by age four. Her kindergarten class loved it for furry snuggling at nap time, but when first grade came around, and her teacher Ms. Trisk had the tendency to bitch about EVERYTHING, her hair was no longer considered a prize. “School has rules,”  Ms. Trisk snaps as she disciplines Zoe, who frowns in despair as her hair continues to misbehave, even transforming into a hair-dragon to chase the teacher away. 

It is a lesson for every teacher to EMBRACE what your students have a tough time controlling, AND BE PATIENT! They will prove to you that they are worthy, just like Zoe's hair did!

great for mothers day!

"Mama Loves Her Little Son" by John Carter Cash is a delightful story about the love between mother and son. The book starts out with a mother holding her son in the sunlight saying "Momma loves her little son. There is nothing more so true. From now until forever more, Momma clings to you." It goes on to show the adventures of the mother and son recounting the depths of the mothers love for her child. A beautiful and heartwarming story! 

Every illustration is a two-page spread of Marc Burckhardt's watercolor paintings. His magical artwork contains exquisite details and vivid colors conveying the real action and emotion in this story. A child who doesn't yet know how to read words can easily understand the story by reading the pictures. Burckhardt is a gifted picture book illustrator who knows how to bring prose to life in a whole nother dimension. 

So cute!

childrens books sure have changed since i was little...

In this day and age, people of every shape and color are procreating. Authors of children's books have finally come out with stories that kids in interracial families can relate too. "I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother" by Selina Alko, is rather adorable actually.

As a young boy awaits the latest addition to his family, he wonders aloud what the new baby will look like. Coming from a “semisweet dark Daddy chocolate bar” and “strawberry cream mama’s milk,” will the little one be more “pure coal black” or like a “mocha cloud”? Regardless, the new sibling will enter an adoring world, filled with a sweetness that is described in edible terms, all illustrated in the funky, fun gouache and mixed-media illustrations: a pair of lips are shaped like jelly beans; the sunshine is “lemon meringue.” The text is full of literary wordplay, but the food conceit creates a one-note show and the constant comparisons may grow tiresome. Still, this is refreshingly non didactic story about prenatal anticipation in an interracial home, and it will make a good choice for sharing one-on-one or reading aloud to a group, whose members may want to come up with their own food metaphors for their families.

The story appeals on all levels; the illustrations are gorgeous, the text poetic and musical. Alko artfully captures the excitement and curiosity of a young child awaiting a younger sibling. What's nice is that this child has no one pre-determined picture of the sibling-to-be; through masterful artwork and spoken-word style text, the book explores a range of possible images of his future sibling. Written from the child's perspective, the book celebrates the lineage of interracial families, while joyously affirming kids and parents of all colors.

Whether you're white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate, this book is a delight!