1 comments about Peace One Day.

1. Peace One Day is a colorful, enchanting and inspiring book. It is the story of a young man who believes that one person can make a difference in the world and has demonstrated it many times over. Sometimes the world seems too big, too complex and out of reach, particularly to kids. True changemakers appear larger than life or saints but here is a story about Jeremy Gilley who is just a man who loves children, loves life and loves peace. He set out to establish a single day of peace on the calendar when all countries and people observe a global ceasefire when food and medicine can get across borders and refugees can return to their families. He set out asking heads of state, dignitaries and engage children all over the globe.
   Illustrated by Pulitzer Award winning Karen Blessen, this collage of pictures, narration and photos tells all about it. You can show the pictures to preschoolers, read together with grade-schoolers and share the possibility of peace, but most of all you can tell kids that they can make a difference, one person at a time. I love this book and its message.

No comments about Mother Knows Best (Spongebob Squarepants Chapter Books).

2 comments about The Berenstain Bears and the Mama's Day Surprise (First Time Books(R)).

1. Modern moms and dads may take offense at this book's basic premise: Papa Bear is so useless in the kitchen that he burns toast and makes an awful mess while making Mama Bear breakfast. And Mama Bear is full of gratitude because Papa Bear and the cubs clean up the kitchen after they make a mess. I'd rather send kids a message that they can always help in the kitchen, not just once a year on Mother's Day.
   
   For an alternate Mother's Day gift, check out Because You Are My Baby - Mom gets to be a mountaineer, a rock star and an astronaut!



2. This book is a very funny and realistic picture of well-meaning dads and kids trying to make Mother's Day a nice experience for mom. They do their best and touch Mama Bear's heart with their good intentions. But they do have their problems--don't we all? To err is human. This book may not conform to strict, politically correct, academic feminist standards but it's very real and down-to-earth and, best of all, it's funny.

1 comments about Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book.

1. This book is wonderfully illustrated, and kids love it. It has a great deal of re-read value for kids because the illustrations are so detailed. The Spanish is easy and many of the words listed are very similar to their English counterparts. El Dia de los Muertos is fun anytime of the year, and this book is a visual treat...

5 comments about Gift For Abuelita / Un regalo para Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead/En celebracion del Dia de los Muertos.

1. This coming together of a writer's story & the visions of an illustrator is perfect. A simple tale of sorrow, change, love & healing. There are skills & ideas tucked away inside this gift: of a child's grief over the death of her grandmother & of the everyday things they did together & how her people celebrate their loved ones memories with gifts & prayers.

   A Gift for Abuelita/Un regalo para Abuelita is a treasure to be read again & again not just for the story. It is rich in detailed illustrations & the marriage of two languages telling the same story is a fine addition. For my full review do check out: [my website]




2. I purchased this book because of the outstanding, noteworthy illustrations and fell in love with the sensitivity of the text. I live in a community where the Day of the Dead is celebrated locally. I own several fiction and non-fiction books on the topic, which I use in my primary grade classroom. While other non-fiction children's books on the Day of the Dead do a better job of explaining what happens during this celebration, this is the only book I have found that explains on an emotional level why one would want to celebrate one's dead relatives.
   
   Although the relationship between Rosalita and her grandmother is established too quickly to cause the reader any distress when she dies on the third page of the text, Rosalita's dilemma is made clear. She works through the process of remembering and grieving her "abuelita" (grandmother). She thinks about what she can place on the family altar to symbolize her relationship with her deceased grandmother. She wonders what it will feel like when her grandmother's spirit returns on the Day of the Dead. How she resolves these questions will beautifully explain to anyone outside of the culture why those who celebrate this holiday take the time to remember.



3. This book is great for readers learning spanish or english. It has beautiful illustrations, and a great story that is based on an event that most children will have to face. The celebration of the day of the dead brings people closer to those who have passed away, and is a great idea to give to children.
   Este libro es muy bueno para lectores más jovenes para aprender inglés o español. Tiene dibujos bonitas, y un gran cuento que es sobre un evento que muchos niños tendrán. La celebración del Dia de los Muertos traiga los personas muy cercas a los personas que son muertos, y es una buena idea dar los niños.



4. This book blends beautiful illustrations of artistic collages, with a touching story told from a young girl's perspective of losing her grandmother, and trying to find the perfect way to honor her beloved 'abuelita' on the Day of the Dead.
   Teaching at middle school in a community of growing numbers of hispanics this story has helped teach cultural traditions to my students in a unique way. In reading this story along with videos and personal sharing from our Mexican students and teachers, ALL our students celebrated the Day of the Dead this school year with their own artwork and special foods and breads. Having this story told in both English and Spanish was truly an added bonus for our English Language Learners to enjoy.



5. This book is a beautiful bilingual book that is ideal for young students. It serves as a nice introduction to Day of The Dead, which is celebrated in Mexico, on November 2. The author fails to mention this in the book but instead makes a note of it in the authors notes. Therefore,for clarity, the adult might want to incorporate this fact into the storyline. Use of another book, like The Day of the Dead / Dia De Los Muertos or Mexican Day of the Dead as a supplement will enrich the students learning about Day of the Dead. The story is rather flat, as noted in one of the editorial reviews here but the salvation of the book are the rich illustrations. The artist when to great lengths to create dimension in the art, resulting in exquisite drawings that will captivate the young audience. The story evolves around young Rosita's loss of her mentor and grandmother to an undisclosed sickness. After she dies Rosita longs for abuelita(grandmother) and her grandfather(abuelito) and family teach Rosita how to honor the dead. They teach her about making abuelita's favorite goodies and making an offering to her spirit at home and at the graveyard. Rosita questions whether she will "encounter" abuelita or not but is eventually touched by her spirit. This is a very cool book that explains how grief for the departed is handled in Mexican culture. As stated the illustrations are magnificent and worth the price of the book alone. Bilingual students , or those learning a language, whose first language is either English or Spanish, will benefit from the text, if read to in both languages. Recommended for community and K-8 school libraries.

1 comments about Fourth of July Mice!.

1. Those charming holiday mice are back- and this time they are celebrating Independence Day. Their day is packed with activities- a noisy, flag-waving parade, a picnic to munch, a baseball game with the local bugs, and a sack race. There is even a swim in the pond where the littlest mouse overcomes his fear of swimming. The day ends in a happy burst of fireworks, and a cheer for America. The bouncy, rhymed text is great to read aloud, and the lively illustrations are full of clever details. A fun, joyous celebration of our country's birthday- a perfect book for young patriots!

No comments about Picnic!: A Day in the Park (Ready-to-Read. Pre-Level 1).

1 comments about The Berenstain Bears and the Papa's Day Surprise (First Time Books(R)).

1. Love these books....they were my favourite when I was younger and they've become my kids' favourite!

5 comments about The Dancing Dragon.

1. This book is beautifully illustrated, informative, and entertaining as it unfolds.... literally unfolds.... into a giant dragon like the ones that dance in the festival. My students were amazed and enchanted!



2. My son is in love with Dragons and this story is a great book to help educate him about the role Dragon's play in the Chinese culture. The way the book is designed is a wonderful surprise.



3. I used this book for a Chinese New Year presentation in my daughter's class. The children really enjoyed the story about the Chinese New Year, and also the full picture of the dragon.



4. Perfect book for preschool-kindergarten. I love how the book pages unfold to reveal a long long parade dragon! Read it to my son's preschool and they really enjoyed it.



5. This remains one of the best books available for classroom reading for Chinese New Year. However, it is great for pre-K or K, but too easy for 1st and 2nd grade, since kids nowadays are more sophisticated and know all about dragon dance by then (at least they think they do).

4 comments about My First Ramadan.

1. I was happy to see this book from Karen Katz, its a good introduction into Ramadan, although its missing a lot of "fun" for kids info, she did a good research, and have presented Ramdan well, I read it to my daughter, and like all other Karen Katz books we've read, we both loved it.



2. I was so psyched when I found out that one of my kid's favorite authors had done a book on Ramadan. (Thank you Karen Katz!) I was even more excited when I received the book. The illustrations are wonderful and whimsical. Ms. Katz has done an excellent job portraying life for a typical Muslim child. I especially enjoyed how she represented how multicultural a typical mosque in the US is. That's one of the wonderful things about being Muslim in the US--you are reminded every day that Muslims are not just of Arab origin. :) I know this will become a family favorite. Too bad it isn't on sturdy board stock like our other favorite Katz books. :)



3. Very nice and tender book about the value of fasting. American Muslims should be donating such books to all elementary libraries. What a great way to let young readers know about other cultures and traditions.



4. This is a great book/resource for teachers and parents to teach about a Muslim holiday, Ramadan to little children. My boys and I loved it!