No comments about Daily Discoveries for October: Thematic Learning Activities for Every Day.

1 comments about Eyewitness: Costume (Eyewitness Books).

1. This is a good, easy reference book. I highly recommend it for grade school children who may not be up to the task of reading long explanations about historical costumes. It covers a lot of time--from Adam and Eve to the 1990's.

5 comments about Little Miss Spider: A Christmas Wish.

1. Miss Spider is the best series. My daughter loves all the bright colors. Highly Recommended!



2. My 16 month old and I go to the library and get books quite often. When I read this book to her she loved it. It is hard to tell who loved it more though, my daughter or me. The colors are vibrant and the rhyme has a nice rhythm. I did not mind reading it several times a day.



3. In "Little Miss Spider: A Christmas Wish," Little Miss Spider finds herself without anyone to play with on Christmas Eve. She's really hoping for a new friend and so she sets out on the winter day. At first, she doesn't meet anyone, but then she comes upon Asparagus Beetle. Asparagus proves to be a great new friend, but it turns out there's something he needs too --- and Little Miss Spider is just the one to help.
   
   This book is written in the classic "Miss Spider" rhyming style by David Kirk. The young version of Miss Spider is very cute. The illustrations alternate between full page and text pages with a small illustration.



4. After we discovered my daugter's love for the original "Little Miss Spider", we endeavored to collect the entire series. Like the others, this one did not disappoint.
   
   The story follows much the same formula as Kirk's other Little Miss Spider books - one that works well for these tales. Miss Spider on a quest, encounters conflict, conflict resolves in a lesson of sorts.
   
   This is a lovely, warm little Christmas story and an enjoyable and fun read with its well-constructed rhymes, vivid colors, and endearing characters. And the hardcover version has those wonderful, durable glossy pages that hold up even to a toddler's not-so-careful page-turning techniques!
   
   Absolutely recommended for all young readers.



5. This is a cute rhyming book about Little Miss Spider, her mother (Bettie Beetle), and her friend Asparagus Beetle. The story is essentially one about how much more important people are than things. It is heartwarming and Holiday appropriate.
   
   I have to say though, that I was a bit puzzled about what was going on until I read the front flyleaf. The flyleaf provided a great deal of information about what the story was about. It explains something of Miss Spider's own adoption, and how she is missing all of her friends who are hibernating. I highly recommend you take a moment to read it with your child -at least once - before going on to the rest of the text.
   
   The Accelerated Reading designation for this book is 3.1 which means that it is suggested for children in the first month of Third Grade. Having said that I would note that my own children had a bit of a problem with the font because it is stylized (i.e. fancy).
   
   Vocabulary includes: boughs, beneath, Asparagus, gargoyles, frighten, cushion, and sheltering.
   
   Four Stars. [B-] :::: The artwork is typical of Miss Spider. Color is vivid and covers the entire page. Good Read-aloud. I liked the pro-family, pro-adoption attitudes, and the fact that the vocabulary isn't babyish. The AR designation for this book is 3.1.
   
   Pam T~

1 comments about Earth Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

1. EARTH DAY (Rookie Read-About Holidays)is a book ideal for children up to age 3. It's describes perfectly the importance of caring for the Earth. The charming photos clearly tell the story or message. And the book is inexpensive enough to use as a distribution in a classroom or youth group.

1 comments about Fiestas: A Year of Latin-American Songs and Celebrations.

1. This book contains lots of catchy songs, which can be used for everyday. I've used a few of them in my classroom and the children seem to love it. There are a few action songs which really help me entertain kindergarteners. Along with this book.. you should get diez deditos and De Colores. They're written by the same author. The author also adds some notes about the songs, and cute little diagrams which help you with the actions. This is an excellent book to a kid's or a teacher's library.

No comments about HOLIducks (Lucky Ducks).

2 comments about Lights For Gita.

1. A nice story with illustrations although it does not give the kind of detail that my children & I crave. I paraphrased it, using the pictures, for a group of 3 - 6 year olds at school and they liked it. An easy introduction to Diwali for them. Then I showed them a few things, including a clay oil lamp and we had Indian sweets. For pictures of a more traditional celebration and those details, use the 2 page spread in "Children Just Like Me: Celebrations!".



2. This carefully crafted tale of homesickness and hope combines the universal experience of long-awaited plans foiled by weather with the grief of a young girl pining for her far off home. This book leaves us with the powerful insight that its up to each of us to fill our darkness with light.

3 comments about The Spirit of Tio Fernando: A Day of the Dead Story/El Espiritu De Tio Fernando : Una Historia Del Dia De Los Muertos.

1. El Espiritu de Tio Fernando is an excellent book describing the mexican celebration of Days of the Dead. The book follows a young boy and his mother as they remember his uncle who has died within the last year. The book is simple yet includes many aspects of the celebration. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed so as to show the emotions of each part of the celebration. The text is in both English and Spanish allowing all children to enjoy it equally.



2. This book features beautiful colorful illustrations and a very cute story, full of accurate cultural details. To be enjoyed by children and adults alike, it also is a great way to "teach" your kids about death, or to help them deal with mourning, whether or not you are hispanic.



3. The spirit of Tio Fernando by Janice Levy is a book about the Day of the Dead.
   Fernando wakes up and today is the Day of the Dead and they are going to see the spirit of Tio Fernando. Fernando`s mother set all Tio Fernando `s favorite foods on the table. She also put out some pictures of Tio Fernando. After Fernando`s mother gave him some pesos to go buy things that Tio Fernando liked also to remember him. Fernando went to the market and saw Senor Romero and then Senor Romero gave Fernando a skull with his name on it. Fernando saw Senora Magdalia and Senora Magdlia gave him a little ghost and Senor Magdalia tells Fernando how he will meet Tio Fernando's spirit and how he will feel good inside. After Fernando went home they went to the cemetery to Tio Fernando's cross and put marigolds there. Fernando's mother sang Tio Fernando's favorite songs. Fernando heard a heart beating but maybe it was only Fernando. Fernando feels something in his body. Then they stayed at the cemetery for the Day of the Dead.
   
   The lesson I learned from the book was that your loved ones will always be beside you. In one part of the book I found they tell Tio Fernando's spirit to join them. Even if Tio Fernando is dead he knows he isn't forgotten. Fernando feels his uncle in his body and by the sounds too. Fernando remembers Tio Fernando by the pictures and by the second toe of his right foot. I like the way this book tells you about the Day of the Dead and that your loved ones will always be beside you.
   
   By Graciela

1 comments about Diwali (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

1. As an Indian mom who purchased the book to help her children understand the festival and associated traditions I was very disappointed. It didn't work for my 5 yr old and 4 yr old.

1 comments about Kids Celebrate!: Activities for Special Days Throughout the Year.

1. I liked this book because it had one or two simple activities that you could do with your children in order to learn something about secular holidays. There was a green eggs recipe in order to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2nd) and then a little lesson about how to respond when you are served foods you don't like. It's nice having a quick index for parents to do fun, simple activities with children. Most didn't involve more than some construction paper, crayons and maybe a 2Liter bottle.