The Book Bag, Books for Ages 4 to 8, November/December 2005

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Yes, I know it’s a little late for a November-related post, but we had nearly 40 reviews in November, so it took a bit to get them all up on the web site. Here are some of our favorite non-seasonal books. I am posting a separate Holiday Book Bag with great tales for all ages!

My Little Book of [Wood Ducks, Painted Turtles, Burrowing Owls, Timber Wolves, White Tails and River Otters] by Hope Irvin Marston. This is a non-fiction picture book series that follows animals from birth through their first year of life. Our reviewer raved about all of them and the fact that her kids wanted to pretend to be some of the animals. NOTE: The title links you to My Little Book of Timber Wolves. Click here to go to the indices page with links to each title. [Windward Publishing, an Imprint of Finney Company, 2003]

Nacho and Lolita by Pam Munoz Ryan. This is a beautifully illustrated story about love and friendship that even young children can understand. The illustrations are fabulous and keep young listener’s attention while you read long narrative passages. [Scholastic Press, an Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2005]

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman. A parent describes what happened in the world the night their child was born, and how to look for signs that the world keeps celebrating how special the child is each and every day. “This is a beautiful poem with creative, incredible illustrations.” [Darling Press, 2005]
What Can I Do Today? To Make This World a Happier Place by Allison Stoutland. This is a book that illustrates how a random act of kindness for one person can change many lives. The story expertly weaves a “house that jack built” type tale with a pay-it-forward theme. [Inch by Inch Publications, 2005]

Your Father Forever by Travis Griffith. A father explains to his children that for all the moments in their lives, he will always be there to share, care, and help their dreams come true. [Illumination Arts Publishing Company, Inc., 2005]

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… To Grandmother’s House We Go

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Wherever you look this time of year, the world is full of images of family gatherings and special moments. Whether it’s a television ad or a favorite photo, we are often transported back to a special place or time of holidays long ago. As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and then (quickly) move toward selecting those “just perfect” holiday gifts, it seemed like the perfect time to offer you the perfect gift idea.

This morning, I opened an auction for Janet Mary Sinke’s picture book collection, My Grandma and Me. The winner will receive a complete set of the books (four in all), personally autographed.

The auction runs from 21 November 2005 until 9 December 2005. Some of you may recall that we tried an auction earlier this fall, and between technical difficulties and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our effort was for naught. That’s okay, because all things happen for a reason … and the reason is that the Spirit was waiting for me to finish crafting Nonna’s Voice.

This project first came to me this spring, as I was trying to find a fitting way to give tribute to my Grandmother–an incredible woman passionate about reading–through The Reading Tub(tm). Through the summer and early fall, life kept me from moving forward with it. Now, finally, on the anniversary of celebrating her passing, the framework is finished and a plan is in place. Launching Nonna’s Voice will be our principle project for 2006. The auction proceeds will be the seed money to jump-start this initiative.

For those of you who don’t know her, Janet Mary Sinke is a grandmother who, shortly after being diagnosed with Parkinsons, started writing stories about grandparent-child experiences. Her books, called the My Grandma and Me series, are just exquisite. They are picture books, they are poetry, they are art … they are incredible. I spoke with Janet to see if she was interested in partnering for this project, and she was immediately on board. I also learned in that conversation that her grandchildren also call her Nonna (Italian pronunciation, just as we do).

Here are two links from our site that will introduce you to Janet and her work.

http://www.thereadingtub.com/files/interviews/author_janet_mary_sinke.html
http://www.thereadingtub.com/grandmas_treasure_chest.html

To learn more about Nonna’s Voice and be part of the auction, go to these links:

http://www.thereadingtub.com/grandma_and_me_auction.html
http://www.thereadingtub.com/nonnas_voice.doc

The auction runs until 4 o’clock (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday, 9 December 2005. This will ensure that you receive your personalized books before Christmas.

Happy Holidays, The Reading Tub(tm) Crew

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Kids Can Write, Too

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Sandra McLeod Humphrey has been helping children for nearly four decades, first as a clinical psychologist, and now as an author and consultant. Her work supports children’s literacy from several venues.

First, her award-winning books engage children to discuss the world around them, bringing books to life and helping them apply their messages in the decisions they make every day.

Sandy also has a website http://www.kidscandoit.com, which has an ongoing essay contest that lets kids write their own true story about the toughest decision they had to make. She also collects stories and posts them once a month on the “Fun Stuff” section of the site.

Check it out!

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This work by Reading Tub is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 US License