Blog Archives
All Different and Beautiful: A Children’s Book about Diversity, Kindness, and Friendships
As far as friends go, Orion is the cream of the crop. Although he is new to America himself, he is adept at recognizing when others are uncomfortable or in need of a pep talk. There is not one student in Orion’s school he won’t approach with a friendly smile and positive attitude. From new students to those who are shy due to a disability, he welcomes and encourages them all. Even the class clown is no match for Orion’s bright light–he has everyone figured out and knows just how to break down the protective walls they have built around them.
All Different and Beautiful: A Children’s Book About Diversity, Kindness, and Friendships, written by Belle Belrose and illustrated by Winna CL, is a children’s book focused on inclusion and acceptance. Belrose’s main character Orion is both intuitive and loving. His positive outlook is contagious, and readers will find themselves looking forward to each encounter with his classmates. Orion is a shining example of everything teachers try to teach students. His willingness to lend a hand and offer a shoulder to lean on is exactly what young readers need to see in a character.
Bright, colorful, and intricately detailed illustrations accompany Belrose’s story. Winna CL’s portrayal of Orion will engage readers and keep them engaged in the plot as they recognize familiar aspects of school life. The illustrator manages to convey a wide range of emotions with relatable facial expressions ranging from fear and shame to sheer joy.
Belrose’s story has a place in both classrooms and guidance curricula. Oftentimes, the lessons we try so hard to teach are more effective when they come from the pages of a children’s book. Belrose’s story communicates one of the most important lessons of all–different is beautiful.
Pages: 35 | ASIN: B08NZZ8RJL
Finding Andy’s Home Auf Der Suche Nach Andys Zuhause
Andy the tortoise wants one thing and one thing only. He would give anything to know about his first home. He remembers bits and pieces of his past, but he yearns to find out more about who he really is. His friend Audi the cat knows just enough about Andy to share that he is a spurred tortoise. With this information in hand, the two set out to do a little digging and determine Andy’s origins. The pair, with nothing but determination and curiosity in hand, find themselves traveling from the railroad tracks to, strangely enough, the immigration office. Will they leave with answers or more questions?
Finding Andy’s Home, written by Gloria D. Gonsalves and illustrated by Silja Schuler, is a fictional children’s book based on the life of an African tortoise who finds himself in Germany wondering about his home. Franziska Maciszonek, the translator, provides readers with the unique opportunity to experience Andy and Audi’s adventure in both English and German.
Andy and Audi are fast friends, and their odd couple dynamic makes them both a delightful and memorable pair for young readers. Gonsalves’s short chapter book makes for an interesting read as it includes references to pop culture meshed seamlessly with facts about tortoises encompassed in a well-written animal fantasy. I appreciated the softness of Schuler’s illustrations. Each one beautifully emphasizes Gonsalves’s sweet storyline.
I can see Finding Andy’s Home, written by Gloria D. Gonsalves and illustrated by Silja Schuler’s fitting well into a thematic unit on tortoises or serving as a paired text for a book like Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot. Teachers and homeschool parents alike will delight in Gonsalves’s educational contribution and Schuler’s lovingly-crafted illustrations.
Pages: 46 | ASIN: B0B73ZYC1N
Overcoming Adversity
Mangrove Sands–The Enchanted Sea World: The Epic Journey follows five children with challenges who are brought together to go on an undersea adventure together. What was the inspiration for your story?
My inspiration for The Epic Journey came to me when I discovered I was going to be a first-time grandma. I wrote this book for my beautiful Australian grandson who has a Swedish heritage.
All the characters in this magical story are engaging and interesting. What was your favorite character to write for and why? Was there a scene you felt captured the character’s essence?
Every new character added to each book is interesting in their own unique way. Saige is a Swedish girl who struggles accepting her leg was amputated. My favourite scene would be when Saige has built her confidence with support from the Enchanted Seaworld and friends and overcomes her fears and declares she no longer needs her magical leg.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
There were several important educational aspects in this book such as environment and overcoming adversity. However, the most important for me was for children to be open to learn and respect other cultures.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
I am currently at the tail end of writing my fourth book of the series taking the readers and characters to the origins of the Enchanted Seaworld, a world in a fourth dimension.
Author Links: Facebook | Amazon
A young Swedish girl has recently had her leg amputated. She struggles to accept the loss of her leg and has no interest in making new friends or attempting to walk until she meets her Enchanted Sea World friends and her life is changed forever. She starts doing things she never thought possible. She shows her friends how to make Dala horses, bake Swedish buns, and join in traditional Swedish celebrations.
Mangrove Sands–The Enchanted Sea World: The Epic Journey is full of magical adventures in the Enchanted Sea World including surviving a cyclone, a pandemic, and the realm of horrors. Magical spoons, a magical sea god, a wedding, and a death will keep young minds curious and captivated.
This book is full of fun, adventure, and many magical moments. It aims to provide hope and inspiration to children around the globe and encourages children to embrace, respect, and learn about other cultures and languages. It further encourages children to exercise humility, love, and understanding to all.
Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times
Nursery rhymes are an excellent way to teach rhyming words, word families, and rhythm in the English language. For decades, nursery rhymes have served as a way of introducing the youngest of emerging readers to the characteristics of text, story elements, and basic sight words. Pam Gittleman, author of Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times, has taken nursery rhymes to a new level by incorporating social and emotional learning into her new and refreshing versions of age-old rhymes we will all recognize. Gittleman’s rhymes range from “Three Kind Mice” to “Baa Baa Bright Sheep.”
Social and emotional learning is key to cultivating relationships and creating a stable and caring learning environment in classrooms. Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times, by Pam Gittleman, is a bright spot in literature for young readers in that it delivers important lessons in becoming aware of one’s own feelings. Gittleman’s versions of classic rhymes are relevant and relatable and will quickly catch the interest of young readers, whether they are shared as read-aloud or read independently. The author has done a beautiful job of incorporating feelings into each rhyme in a way little ones will find comforting. The use of emojis at the conclusion of each rhyme really serves to bring the entire book full circle.
I have missed the presence of nursery rhymes in early elementary classrooms. Their benefits are many and desperately needed with regard to literacy. Gittleman knocks it out of the park with her renditions of classic rhymes. I look forward to seeing her work become commonplace in elementary classrooms and guidance curricula.
Pages: 46 | ISBN : 1637558015
Tease? No, Please!
Bullying is such an important topic in schools. Unfortunately, parents and teachers are having to find new and more effective ways to cope with this ever-growing problem that impacts students both in and out of school. Teaching ways to both identify and combat bullying early in elementary school is a necessity, and Chrystal Epps-Bean’s book, Tease? No, Please: A Book That Teaches Kids to Just Say NO to Teasing and Bullying offers advice to children in a way they can easily understand.
Any time parents and teachers can utilize literature to help children deal with problems and provide relatable situations, our jobs are made easier. As both a mother and elementary teacher, I can see Epps-Bean’s book as a true asset in elementary classrooms. I love both the use of rhyme to make the book easy to follow and the incorporation of memory tools to help readers remember the provided advice. Readers will quickly pick up on the repetitive language throughout the book.
Differentiating between teasing and bullying is an incredibly difficult concept to teach young children. Even many adults tend to lump teasing and bullying into one category, but this author realizes the importance of making a distinction between the two. Epps-Bean creates a wonderful opportunity for parents and teachers to have some heart-to-heart discussions with children.
Tease? No, Please: A Book That Teaches Kids to Just Say NO to Teasing and Bullying, by Chrystal Epps-Bean is a book that school counselors, teachers, and parents alike will find useful in both instruction and intervention. The memory tools and activities included in the book are priceless tools for helping students distinguish between teasing and bullying and how to effectively deal with both.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 978-1-7347310-5-7
The Big Red Bird Feeder
Emma is an avid bird-watcher. She is laser-focused on the big red bird feeder in her backyard. She even has a bird-watching station ready to go so she can monitor the comings and goings at her feeder. Emma has noticed a pattern though. Almost as soon as the feeder is filled with delicious berries and grains, it all disappears. She is more than determined to discover exactly what is happening to the food she leaves for the birds. When she makes the decision to implement a night-vision camcorder, she soon discovers who is responsible for taking the birds’ treats!
The Big Red Bird Feeder, by Priya Ramesh, is a lovely children’s book with a hint of mystery. Ramesh’s main character Emma is set on keeping an eye on her bird feeder and figuring out how the bird food keeps disappearing soon after the feeder is filled. The illustrations in Ramesh’s book are soft, comforting, and spark the imagination. There is a certain soothing element to the drawings that support this sweet story.
I highly recommend The Big Red Bird Feeder by Priya Ramesh. Young readers will love the suspense associated with Emma’s mission in this quick read. They will enjoy making guesses as to the culprit’s identity. As a teacher and writer myself, I especially liked the way in which Ramesh chose to reveal the suspect’s identity. To the very end, The Big Red Bird Feeder, is a fun story with a twist elementary students will appreciate.
Pages: 25 | ASIN : B0C5FRJ5DY
Colten and the Bullfrog Adventure
Colton loves time spent with Poppy because every adventure with Poppy brings new and interesting facts. When the two set out to find the “old man,” they both know they will have a great time, and Colten knows he will learn in the process. The pair take off into the darkness with everything they need to make their search a successful one. Poppy, always ready to introduce Colton to something new and different, takes the time to explain everything he knows about the “old man,” how he lives, and what makes him special.
Colton and the Bullfrog Adventure, written by Julie Houston Rogers and illustrated by Joshua Allen, is a wonderful mixture of realistic fiction and a nonfiction text written to both interest young readers and educate them on the life of a bullfrog. The affectionate term “old man” draws readers in and engages them in young Colton’s story. His relationship with Poppy is precious and will resonate with families who share this tale with little ones.
The nonfiction elements in Rogers’s writing will appeal to both families who homeschool their children and teachers in elementary classrooms. For some younger readers, nonfiction texts can be particularly difficult to handle and even a little dull if they are steeped in straightforward facts. Rogers’s presentation of facts is both interesting and easy to follow. The casual dialogue–the exchange between Colton and Poppy–helps little ones learn while enjoying the banter between the main characters.
Colton and the Bullfrog Adventure, written by Jule Houston Rogers, is an excellent book to add to any classroom library, STEM curriculum, or homeschool life science unit. I highly recommend Rogers’s sweet story to anyone who wishes to quickly engage young readers in a story that is both relatable and educational.
Pages: 24 | ASIN: B07MKMKH8S
Literary Titan Book Award August 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise, and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
Rito de iniciación by Diego Uribe
A Time To Grow by Lowell Duane Pabst
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
LITERARY TITAN 