Tag Archives: kids

A Reel Cool Summer is a Really Cool Book for Kids

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Several weeks ago, I connected online with another author, Martha Rodriguez. 

We realized we were on the same page about many things…have 3 children (2 boys and a girl), love our families, have a passion for picture books, recently had our first books published…the list could go on and on.  Martha and I exchanged books and she’s already written a review of my book: http://bit.ly/peQ3mt

So now it my turn to tell you all about her book, A Reel Cool Summer.

  

As parents, we all know how difficult it can be to keep children entertained and busy…especially during the long hot summer.  The story opens with three siblings, Joey, Jacqui and Danny, complaining about how there is NOTHING to do.  After bantering back and forth, the three kids decide that what they need is a pool for their backyard so that they can cool off.  While the two younger children go to ask their mother if they can buy a pool, Joey, the oldest, goes to get the mail. 

After pleading with their mother to no avail, Joey takes his brother and sister aside and tells them about a contest that the library is holding.  All they have to do is make a movie…and the winner will receive $100…enough to buy the pool that they all want.   The entire family works together to build the props and make the costumes and Danny, Jacqui and Joey finish the movie and hand it in to the library with just moments to spare.  Will they win the first place prize of $100 and be able to buy the pool that they want?  Will they win the third place prize of the mystery box that contains who knows what?  You’ll have to buy a copy of this lovely book to find out.  You can visit the author’s website and purchase a copy at: http://www.readtomepublishingllc.com/Book.html

She also has a blog: http://areelcoolsummer.blogspot.com/

And you can contact her: info@readtomepublishingllc.com

One of the coolest things about this book is that kids love it.  I brought it along with me on my recent trip to Chicago and read it to my 8-year old great-niece and 6-year old great-nephew.  They absolutely LOVED it and listened intently to the story.  They took turns reading some of the pages and were engaged with the colorful illustrations…which were done by the author’s now-adult son, Joey.

 

Ms. Rodriguez is to be commended on her first book for children. ..kids obviously love it.  As soon as we turned the last page, my niece and nephew jumped up and ran into the house clamoring, “Can we go in the pool?”  They were also anxious to hear it another time, so later we sat under the shade of a big tree and read the book again.

I’m sure that the author has more stories about Joey and Jacqui and Danny that she will share with us in future books…I know my niece and nephew and all kids ages 5 to 9 will be ready to listen.

Top Ten Children’s Picture Books for 2010

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TOP TEN CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS OF 2010

Every year, thousands of new picture books are published.  Many are excellent.  Some are outstanding.  And a few are in a category all their own…to be read and savored, over and over again, by adults and children alike.  These are the books that will be the classics in the decades to come.  These ten books are my choices for the must-read children’s picture books published in 2010.

1.     SHARK VS. TRAIN written by Chris Burton and illustrated by Tom Lichtenhedd

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – ISBN9780316

           A boy with a toy shark faces off against his companion who is holding a toy train.  Awesome cartoon illustrations depict the distinct personalities of the two competitors and will have young children cheering from both sides.  In some of the battles, the shark has the upper hand and in others, the train.  And neither is very good at keeping quiet in the library.

2.     THE QUIET BOOK written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Renata Liwska

Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Children – ISBN9780547215679

               Exploring the many different kinds of quiet with understated text and subtle yet engaging illustrations, this book will soon become a favorite with little ones.  Various young animals – bears, rabbits, mice, owls and others – are placed in situations that will strike a chord of recognition with young children.  In the “first one awake quiet” a young rabbit is doing his morning stretches.  In “right before you yell, ‘Surprise’, quiet”, three animals hide behind a couch.  This is a book that will rank right beside GOODNIGHT MOON as a perfect book to read before bedtime.

3.     CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG written by Mo Willems and illustrated by Jon Muth

Hyperion Books for Children – ISBN9781423103004

               This beautiful book is a journey through the seasons and through the natural cycle of the emotions of a friendship.  When City Dog ventures into the country one spring, he meets Country Frog who teaches him “jumping and splashing and croaking”.  Summer finds the two companions together with Frog learning “sniffing, fetching and barking”.  In the fall, because Frog is tired, they play remembering games, recalling all the things they did in the spring and summer.  When winter arrives, City Dog goes looking for Country Frog, but cannot find him.  When spring returns, City Dog meets a chipmunk who asks him the same question he had asked Frog – “What are you doing?”  And City Dog gives the same answer Frog had given him, “Waiting for a friend…but you’ll do.”

4.     ART AND MAX written and illustrated by David Wiesner

Clarion Books – ISBN9780618756636

               Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting.  Although Arthur (Art) is an experienced painter, Max is just a beginner and his first attempt at painting has unexpected results.  This is a wonderful book for all young children who may question their ability as they grow up to master certain tasks and skills.

5.     THERE’S GOING TO BE A BABY written by John Burningham and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Candlewick Press – ISBN9780763649074

               A young boy learns that he will soon have a new brother or sister.  Young children will identify with his conflicting emotions over the next several months as he and his mother talk about the new baby while walking in the park, visiting the zoo and going to the bank.  The author and the illustrator are husband and wife in real life and have created a wonderful book for siblings-to-be.

6.     LITTLE  PINK PUP written by Johanna Kerby

G.P. Putnam’s Sons – ISBN9780399254352

               This is touching and true story of Pink, the runt of his litter and Tink, a new dachshund mom who adopts him as one of her pups and nurses him back to health.  Simple text and full-color photos will make this book a favorite with very young children.

7.     FARM written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper

Orchard Books – ISBN9780545070751

               The author brings a farm to life with lyrical writing and beautiful illustrations.  The book takes readers through a year of farm life with planting, chores and good and bad weather.  Young children will enjoy the involvement of the farm children in their daily tasks and perhaps gain an appreciation for the hard work that results in the food we eat every day.

8.     THE CHICKEN THIEF written and illustrated by Beatrice Rodriguez

Enchanted Lion Books – ISBN978159700929

               When a fox runs off with one of the hens, bear and rabbit interrupt their peaceful lunch in the garden to join rooster in his chase to recover hen.  The fox seems always to be a step ahead, tenderly clutching the pretty white hen.  Is the fox intending to eat the hen or does he have something else in mind?  This wordless book will be enjoyed by children and adults alike, especially the surprise ending.

9.     OLIVIA GOES TO VENICE written and illustrated by Ian Falconer

Atheneum Books for Young Readers – 9781416996743

               Olivia is back – on a trip to Venice.  She has to dodge pigeons in the Piazza San Marco and barely stays afloat on a gondola ride.  Full of curiosity, Olivia appeals to the very young, but even parents will appreciate the comic ending when Olivia finds the perfect souvenir – a stone – and a bell tower collapses.

10.    BIBIOBURRO: A TRUE STORY FROM COLUMBIA written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter

Beach Lane Books – ISBN9781416997788

               Luis, a schoolteacher with a passion for reading, shares his over-abundance of books with the children in the remote villages of Columbia.  With two burros, he makes the trek across mountainous terrain and perseveres, even when challenged by bandits along the way.  Spreading literacy one child at a time, Luis reminds all of us of the pleasures books bring and the difference one individual can make.

Do you agree?  Any favorites from 2010 that I missed?  As soon as I can, I’ll post my choices for the top ten all-time favorite children’s picture books.  What would be your top choice…the book you loved as a child and want to read to your children and grandchildren?

Avoiding holiday shopping temper tantrums

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We’ll all be shopping more in the next few weeks.  If we take our preschoolers, there is always a possibility of a temper tantrum.  WHAT!  NOT MY CHILD!  NO, NO, NOT EVER!…STAMPING MY FEET WITH STEAM COMING OUT OF MY EARS 🙂

Realistically speaking though, here are three easy discipline tricks that really work.

  1. Make a game out of what must be done: Sing a silly song, make funny faces, say the ABC’s in a high/low voice.  This works for things like buckling up the seat belt of the car seat (don’t all children hate that), leaving the toy store, putting on a jacket or hat.
  2. Be matter-of-fact: Don’t ask, “Do you want to put on your jacket?” or “Shall we put that toy down because we are ready to leave?”  Just say, “We are ready to leave and we are putting on our jackets.” (and maybe start singing a song about now we are putting our jackets on, jackets on, jackets on, etc.)  Or, “It’s time to leave the store and put the toy back…which shelf are we putting it back on, the top shelf or the bottom shelf?” (always make sure that when you give your child a choice, BOTH choices will lead to the goal YOU have in mind)
  3. Warn, distract, and then proceed with what needs to be done: Children like to know what the plan is…and they need to realize that what you say goes and that there is no discussion or negotiation.  It helps, if possible, to give a warning.  For example, when you need to leave the store, give your child a warning in a friendly upbeat tone of voice, “One more hug for mister bear and then we will put him back on his shelf and go and get a drink at the water fountain on our way to the car.”  After the hug, help your child put the bear back, scoop him up, head towards the water fountain, singing a song about bears or water or whatever.  Or, if you are at the library, you might say, “You can turn two more pages and then we will take our books to the librarian to check out so we can go home and read one of them.  Again, scoop up your child (if there is any question he disagrees about your plan to leave), and head towards the library checkout.  Let your child know you understand how he is feeling, “I bet you wish you could stay in the library all day, but it’s time to check out.  You can hold the library card and give it to the librarian.”

One of the hardest things about dealing with preschoolers is that they are easily distracted and often cannot stick with one thing for very long.  This distractibility is a blessing in disguise, however.  No matter what they are involved in: looking at a book, playing with a toy, having a temper tantrum…they can almost always be distracted from it if your are able to turn their attention to something else.  I am not really a very good singer, but when my children where little, I sang ALL the time…when I buttoned up their jackets, put them in the stroller, washed their hair.  Silly songs, happy songs, high songs, low songs…it really worked!   I can remember only one temper tantrum…one of my children (I won’t say which one) wanted a candy bar as we were checking out at the grocery store (don’t you LOVE how they put all those tempting sweets right at child-level?) and, being busy putting up the food on the counter and trying to watch the register read-out as the items were being scanned, I “ignored” my child’s rising whine of “I want a candy” and soon I had a 2 year old laying flat on the floor, kicking his feet.  Had I been paying attention and intervened at the start of this candy demand, I think I could have distracted him and avoided the temper tantrum altogether.

For more parenting help during the holidays, you can check out Katherine Lewis’ blog carnival: