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Happy Tails Camper Stories: Lucy Learns to Share
Lucy is nervous about her first day at Happy Tails Dog Camp. Once she gets there, she sees so many different dogs in all sizes. There was a big play yard with a shed off to the side. Lucy sniffed and made friends with the other dogs. After a while the humans brought out a big box of toys to play with. Lucy wanted the orange ball, but Baxter took it first. All Lucy could think about was that orange ball. So, the next day at camp when the toys were brought out she dashed for the orange ball and ran off and hid so no one could take the ball from her. Lucy learned that playing alone is no fun.
Happy Tails Camper Stories: Lucy Learns to Share by Sharlene Novak and illustrated by Sarah Gledhill is a heartwarming story about learning to share. Learning to share is hard, whether you are a kid or a dog. This playful picture book shows that keeping toys to yourself can end up not being as much fun as one would hope. Instead, it is better to share what you have and that way everyone can have fun together.
The colorful illustrations come to life in this imaginative story. Seeing the way the dogs make friends is relatable to small children that are naturally drawn to cute cuddly animals. The idea of sharing is a hard concept to visualize for little kids, so seeing Lucy get the toy she wanted and be disappointed is a great message that children can relate to.
Happy Tails Camper Stories: Lucy Learns to Share would make an excellent read aloud book for children. The pictures are engaging and the story is beautifully written to relate the message of sharing. Children will love the charismatic dogs in this picture book and parents and teachers will love the meaningful message and simple writing style.
Pages: 28 | ASIN : B09N3WQTSZ
You Belong Too
Annie is a new student at Meadowbrook Public School. She is very nervous about starting at a new school and having to make new friends. Her mom tells her “You can do hard things,” but Annie is not so sure. Throughout the day Annie is afraid to talk to other kids and sits alone. That night she decides she is going to start a friendship club at her new school. The next day she puts her plan into action, looking for all the kids that are alone and bringing them together. Working with her new friends Annie creates an environment of kindness that spreads through her class.
You Belong Too by author Tara Anderson and illustrated by Carissa Harris is a feel-good picture book for early elementary kids. The meaningful message of kindness is presented in a secular format that all families can appreciate. Anderson highlights that despite people being new or different they can be included as well. Harris’s expressive illustrations will help young children understand the emotions such as uncertainty, sadness, and acceptance when a new friend is brought into the circle. Children will be engaged with the stunning colors and playful character drawings.
Included with this picture book is the Friendship Flower, this playful illustration could easily be turned into a classroom activity for students to create. The symbolic flower will help children realize all the different things that go into showing kindness and being a good friend and classmate.
You Belong Too is perfect for teachers and classroom libraries. This beautifully written and illustrated story book conceptualizes the idea of kindness in a way that young elementary and kindergarten students will be able to understand. This is a must read for school children especially in a time when bullying is on the rise to instill the message of inclusion and kindness from the start.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B09LR9LSTK
My Awareness Book
My Awareness Book is a practical guide for children that teaches them how to manage the big emotions in their life. This educational picture book starts out with the lines “We all make our own choices in life, / Sometimes big, sometimes small. / Think positive and smile, / It’s your life and your call.” This sets the tone for this book and lets readers know life is about making choices and it is up to you to decide what the correct choice for you is. There are several examples such as making mistakes and owning up to them, learning to speak in a positive manner, and not being afraid to show emotions. These topics are hard to conceptualize for children and this thought-provoking book will help introduce them and provides an opportunity for further discussion.
Author Diana Smith uses simple but effective prose to share her meaningful message. The struggle to grow emotionally and learn to regulate one’s emotions is challenging, especially for young children. This book takes the lessons parents try to instill in their children and presents it in a way that is engaging and relatable. The extraordinary illustrations by Sarah Jane Marchant will fascinate young children with their cute characters and vibrant colors. Topics like thinking before you speak can be challenging to illustrate, but Marchant has accomplished this task. The combination of engaging prose and captivating illustrations make for an illuminating picture book to be read again and again.
My Awareness Book is a terrific read for children, parents and teachers. This simple narrative model’s good behavior and morals in an approachable way that does not feel lecturing or condescending. The goal of this beautifully written book is to teach children how to have a growth mindset. Teaching children how to grow and understand their feelings is a huge undertaking, and this captivating children’s book is a first step in helping them learn.
Pages: 24 | ASIN : B09MPWZFMG
The Message Of Positivity
Our 20/20 Journey Back to School talks about returning to school in a post COVID world, what was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration for this setup to my story was the thoughts in my head about returning to school a few days before our return in February of 2021. I was fortunate enough to have my first-grade class loop up to second grade with me and so I knew the questions that they had been asking and had built a strong relationship with both my students and their parents. As a parent myself, I knew the importance of letting my community know that we are all in this together and that anything is possible (even though a pandemic). The message of positivity was necessary for all of us to cope with these challenges. The idea that we would conquer them as a team, was most important to me!
The artwork was very creative and engaging for young readers. What was the collaboration process like between you and the illustrator?
The collaboration with Daria Shamolina was amazing. She lives in the Ukraine and I have yet to meet her face to face or even on Facetime/Zoom. I trusted that she would produce incredible illustrations and she was truly able to make the story come to life. I found Daria on a Facebook Author page and saw her previous work and emailed her. I think it was meant to be because she had now illustrated my second book as well.
Returning to normalcy in a post COVID environment is challenging for adults and kids; you touched on the perspective of teachers and children in a relatable way. What was your thought process in writing this content in order to appeal to both the children and the adults reading with them?
In collaborating with teachers at my school and in Covid Facebook groups, I really got a good sense of what “all” teachers were going through. I learned so many things from the many groups I followed and was so thankful for the many resources that I had access to during this time. I really tried to put myself in the shoes of my students and think about how they might be feeling through this unprecedented time. I couldn’t be prouder of my group of students who were warriors through the Pandemic and who supported each other and myself alike!
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My second book was just released at the end of November on both Amazon and Ingram Spark, it is called, “Lucky the Leprechaun on the Loose”. It is about a legendary St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun. Each year during the month of March up until the family Irish holiday, Lucky comes to visit children at school and at home. But he isn’t just here for a visit! Lucky wants to create some March magic by hiding toys, leaving messages and surprises, and even making messes while the children aren’t looking. In the spirit of The Elf on the Shelf, Lucky brings much delight to the hearts of children during this wonderful holiday time.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Instagram
Merry Christmas, Bobby the Bear!
It is Bobby’s favorite time of the year, Christmas! Each year Bobby has a Christmas Party in his cave for all his woodland friends. While off walking in the woods to collect items to make gifts for his friends he meets a deer named Danny. Being the good neighbor that Bobby is he invites Danny to join him and his friends that night for the party. Once there Bobby and his friends find out that Danny has much different traditions than they do.
I really enjoyed the variety of characters in this short story. They all had different personalities and Bobby made sure to highlight them in his gifts. It shows readers the value in appreciating the difference in people. All around the world people celebrate different things and in different ways, this story emphasizes that just because something is different it doesn’t make it bad.
Merry Christmas, Bobby the Bear! by author Ryan O’connor is a beautifully written children’s book about how people celebrate the holiday’s differently. This picture book conveys a feel-good and engaging story with creative artwork by illustrator Xiang Manke. Together the story comes to life for readers in a way sure to delight young children.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B08M41B2BL
Our 20/20 Journey Back to School
![Our 20/20 Journey Back to School by [Maria Thompson, Daria Shamolina]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61QyaDD6olL.jpg)
The year of 2020, one none of us will soon forget. For teachers this is especially true. Teachers and students were thrown into a new world of uncertainty and change. What was not expected, was how strong students and teachers would come out of this year. Maria Cedolini Thompson’s children’s book, Our 20/20 Journey Back to School, is one of perseverance, strength, and having a positive attitude in the wake of things that you can not change.
This story gives a teacher’s perspective to children on the events of the past year without fear or an agenda, just explaining things in a way children in elementary grades can understand and empathize with. Thompson address the fears children had and applauded their successes.
Daria Shamolina has illustrated this book that is engaging, creative and just fun. One example is the children all have masks with funny faces on them. The colors are vibrant and draw the reader into the story. Together the prose and illustrations make for a touching story, a teachers passion to teach, and children’s desire to be in the classroom learning. Our 20/20 Journey Back to School by Maria Cedolini Thompson will delight readers of all ages with a bright outlook for getting through a COVID world stronger.
Pages: 34 | ASIN: B09JW2WHHK
The Tale of the Christmas Hero
Santa’s reindeer are very busy on Christmas Eve delivering presents to all the children. But when the reindeer decide to take a break and chase a field mouse for fun they bring about a near Christmas disaster. Luckily the field mouse they were chasing knows someone that can help them out of their jam and get Christmas back on track.
This is a charming children’s book that is an absolute joy to read. This book fits right into the cheery holiday theme of the season. The reindeer, and mouse, are so lively and animated throughout the story that their antics are sure to keep any child’s attention.
Right when I figured out this was going to be a story about reindeer getting into mischief, I knew I was going to enjoy this story, and the amusing antics delivered a lot of entertainment. Each scene has a fantastic illustration from illustrator Brenda Timms. Each image has a soft color palette and looks like they were colored with crayon, which makes them easily relatable to children.
This delightful picture book is told in fun rhymes that add color and character to the story being acted out on each page. The rhymes are cute and easy to follow, with a few big words here and there young readers should have an easy time reading this story with an adult.
The Tale of the Christmas Hero is a whimsical Christmas book that will delight kids this holiday season. With lovable and emotive characters taking readers on an amusing chase that ends in a cheesy reward, family’s will surely enjoy this entertaining book.
Pages: 36 | ISBN: 1643613502
‘Twas the Night: Christmas dream-like story
!['Twas the Night: Christmas dream-like story (2GETHER picture book collection 5) by [Marin Darmonkow]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51X9uwws3YL.jpg)
‘Twas the Night follows a young boy through city streets where he finds an injured bird and decides to nurse it back to health. When the bird is healthy enough to fly and takes off out the window, something absolutely magical happens.
This charming children’s story is told completely through images. No words. The first scene we come across is a little boy in a wheelchair on an empty city street finding an injured bird on the sidewalk. My heart ached when I saw this image. The emotions were palpable and I could easily sense what was going on in the scene. No words needed.
This is a picture book that truly lives up to the saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. I loved the images in this book. Each is a real image with a rotoscope type art style that gives this story great depth and builds on the surreal nature of the dark and lonely city streets which feel enchanting because of the inclusion of Christmas trees and various lights that bespeckle the pages.
‘Twas the Night tells a beautiful holiday story that inspires the imagination. With other children’s books I find that I’m focused on reading the story to my child. But this book felt much more interactive because me and my child sat together and discussed our thoughts and emotions on each scene. Readers looking for a unique reading experience will find a treat with Marin Darmonkow’s picture book.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B08NWQP9CV
LITERARY TITAN 